Moon Over Eventide
by Alaena F. Dragonstar
Summary: Having officially driven his entire school up the wall one too many times, Kaito is sent to take classes at a human world university as all the Makai ones would rather shoot themselves than endure him, noble clan or not. This is just the kind of chance he's been waiting for. :KaiShin:
1. Humans and Demons

Disclaimer: I don't own the DCMK characters.

 **Genre** : Romance/Fantasy/Humor

 **Rating** : T

 **Pairing** : KaiShin [KaitoxShinichi]

 **Summary** : Having officially driven his entire school up the wall one too many times, Kaito is sent to take classes at a human world university as all the Makai ones would rather shoot themselves than endure him, noble clan or not. This is just the kind of chance he's been waiting for.

 **Note** : For this story, "Makai" should be translated along the lines of "magic world"

* * *

 **Moon Over Eventide**

1: Humans and Demons

One of the most important things to remember when dealing with humans was that they were soft, fragile creatures with no inherent magic of their own. However, they made up for their lack of natural prowess by creating ingenious devices to help them. Kaito had read all the books he could find about human inventions and science and he couldn't wait to see it all in person.

That, of course, led to rule number two. Unless demanded by the situation, magic was not to be used in front of human eyes. Other than a small group of exceptions, humans, as a whole, no longer believed in the supernatural and often reacted badly to discovering hints of its existence (it was, after all, how his people had come to be called demons in the first place). But Kaito wasn't too concerned about that. Humans were, after all, also well known for their ability to delude themselves.

A slow grin spread across Kuroba Kaito's face as he stepped over the threshold of the portal onto the paved street of a human city under the watchful eye of the moon.

This was going to be fun!

When he'd first been called into his father's study and informed that he'd been expelled from Makai Royal Academy for the last series of, ah, minor jokes he had played on the headmaster, he had been more surprised than anything else. He hadn't thought the academy would dare expel an heir to one of the five Great Houses, but now that he thought about it the headmaster might have been a member of one too. Oh well, no biggie. It wasn't like he'd been learning all that much from the place anyway. A change of school was rather unlikely to make much difference.

What surprised him even more however was his father's declaration that he would not, in fact, be attending a different school in the Makai.

"Why not?" he'd asked, curious.

"Well," his father had replied, quirking a rather telling eyebrow, "they all came here begging me to send you elsewhere, actually. It seems your reputation precedes you."

As it should, the younger Kuroba had thought a touch smugly. But of course that left the problem of where he was supposed to finish his schooling. Personally, he firmly believed he would do just fine studying on his own, but he also knew it was expected of members of the demon nobility to have good, official academic records and degrees. It was the matter of setting an example and all that.

When he'd seen his father's solution, his first thought was that if he'd known this was going to happen he would have frozen the headmaster in the academy lake sooner. He'd always wanted to go to the human world again, and now the opportunity was being handed to him on a silver platter. He knew better than to say this out loud however, though he thought his father probably knew from the twinkle of amusement in his eyes.

"You're going to be responsible for keeping up with your studies in magic however. I will be conducting your sorcery exams periodically. When you get back, I expect you to have completed the advanced course. Now go say goodbye to your mother and get your stuff together."

And now, here he was.

This was going to be awesome!

X

Kudo Shinichi, renowned high school detective—or rather former high school detective—gasped for breath as he ran as fast as his legs would carry him, all the while praying that time would be kind just this once and wait for him. Late was not how he had intended to begin his college years. It wasn't, of course, that the housing administration would refuse to give him his key if he was late, but that would require a great deal more fuss than he really wanted to deal with.

And that was why he hadn't even bothered to go back for his luggage when Megure-keibu had finished arresting the culprit from the case that morning and asked him when he was supposed to move into the dorms. That was when Shinichi had looked at his watch and realized that it was almost five. He hadn't realized the case had taken that long.

Taking a sharp turn, he bounded up the steps to an overpass that should sheer a considerable chunk off of the distance he had to travel. Dashing past the other pedestrians making use of the overpass, he chanced a quick look at his watch to check his progress. Because of that momentary lapse of attention, he didn't see the other teen until it was far too late to stop. Even so, he yelped out a warning instinctively as his eyes shut of their own accord and he braced himself for impact. Then he was crashing into the stranger.

Having expected to then go tumbling down the stairs with said unfortunate stranger, Shinichi was more than a little surprised when he didn't feel the rush of air past his face. Instead, an arm had closed quickly around him and the stranger was using Shinichi's momentum to spin them both around. The young man had both a very strong grip and a great sense of balance as he did all this on the very lip of the top step without so much as a waver. Then he set Shinichi down and let him go.

"You should be more careful there," he said cheerfully, stepping back. "You could have really hurt someone."

"I'm really sorry," Shinichi apologized earnestly, wincing at the mental image of the stranger and himself with broken necks at the bottom of the steps. "I should have been looking where I was going. I didn't mean to run into you."

"I didn't think you did," the stranger laughed, remarkably unperturbed by the near-accident. "Why were you running at the stairs anyway? It's kind of inviting trouble, you know."

"Ah, I almost forgot again! I'm going to be late!" Smacking himself in the forehead, he gave the stranger a quick bow. "Sorry again, but I really have to go. Thank you for your help. Bye!" That said, he dove for the stairs and resumed his mad dash for the university housing offices.

Kaito watched the blue-eyed boy go with an amused quirk to his lips. Humans always seemed to be in a hurry. According to his father, their society had changed more in the past century than the Makai had in the last millennia.

Shaking his head, he resumed his stroll along the overpass, whistling a tune he'd heard playing in a music store he'd visited earlier. He still had a whole city to explore!

Somewhere in the back of his mind, he filed the image of the boy who'd run into him away in case they ever met again. The boy had had a familiar scent.

X

"Yo! Shinichi! Over here!"

Shinichi turned at the sound of his name to see two teens making their way towards him. The one who had called out was wearing a baseball hat and waving wildly, white teeth flashing in a dark face. His blond companion followed at a more sedate pace.

"Oh, hey Heiji, Saguru," he greeted the two with a smile. "I take it you've already checked in?"

"Two hours ago," the blond Hakuba Saguru replied. "We were wondering where you were."

"Except that we had a pretty good guess," Hattori Heiji snickered. "So did you make it in time?"

Shinichi sighed, running a tired hand through his hair. "Just barely."

"Met your roommate yet?"

"No. I haven't even seen the room yet. What about you guys?"

For some reason, the question elicited a grimace from both his friends.

"I've been cursed with this," Hattori jerked a thumb at Hakuba, "for company for this whole damned year!"

"My words exactly," the blond sniffed. "I do hope you've tidied up your habits since the last time we saw your room. I refuse to live in such a sty."

"My room is not a sty! And you're the one who needs ta loosen up."

"There is no sense in lowering one's standards to match the standards of others. It is much better to work the other way around."

"Oh, so now I have low standards, do I?"

Shinichi tuned them out, heading instead for the dormitory building he had been assigned. His room was on the fourth floor. Hattori and Hakuba, who, for whatever reason, were following him, continued to bicker the entire way up so that, by the time they reached the correct door, Shinichi was seriously beginning to worry if the two would be able to make it through the year without killing each other. Their poor neighbors. It was going to be a terribly noisy year for them. Glad he wasn't one of them.

Pausing outside his dormitory door, he looked at the two names written on paper nameplates and taped to the outside. His own name was taped up next to a "Kuroba Kaito".

He said the name aloud then blinked. It sounded…strangely familiar. But he couldn't quite place it.

Still trying to remember where he'd heard that name before, he unlocked the door and walked in.

The room was more spacious than he had expected. The bed on the left had already been fitted with sheets, blankets, and pillows, and a suitcase sat at its foot. So his roommate had already been and gone. Shinichi turned to the right hand bed which currently consisted only of the frame and mattress. It was time to get his own things set up.

X

Humans were, Kaito decided, truly amazing. All around him, the city glittered and glowed, rumbled and roared—colors and textures and sounds all roiling together in a mass of sheer, vivacious _life_! Everywhere he turned, there was something new to see. From the people to the buildings to the shops and machines, all of it showcased the ingenuity that had helped humans shape their history and their world. It may have taken centuries, but for one species to create all this with nothing but their brains and bare hands was incredible!

Yet another of the colorful, metallic carriages rumbled by. Cars, if he remembered correctly. It was followed by a much smaller machine running on only two wheels. It had a human riding atop it like it was a horse. It blew down the street, all shiny red and silver. Kaito stopped and turned to watch it go, intrigued. Now _that_ looked fun. He definitely had to get himself one of those.

Driving was one of the experiences he hadn't gotten around to last time because he'd been under-aged that time.

He had only ever been to the human world once before. Most of his people didn't bother much with humans, but his father had always insisted on a broad education.

That time, he and his father had stayed in the human world for about four years. The older demon had taken up the role of a human stage magician, and they had traveled to many places all over the world. Mostly, however, they had stayed in France then Japan, where Kaito had briefly attended a human school in order to better understand their lifestyle. Those had been fun days indeed, he reminisced.

He'd even made a good friend.

He had first approached the boy because his father had told him that a good lord knew how to build good relationships with all kinds of people and should never ignore someone who looked like they might need help. While the quiet boy didn't exactly look like he needed any kind of help, he did look a bit lonely to Kaito, sitting to the side of things all the time with his books.

The boy had been small for his age with black hair and large, startlingly blue eyes that Kaito had heard he'd inherited from his mother. Apparently she had been a famous actress before she'd gone into early retirement. His father too had been said to be a famous writer, although Kaito himself had never seen any of the man's books, so he couldn't say if the guy's writing was actually any good. What he did know was that being a quiet, studious, and rather blunt child (who was perhaps a little too smart for his own good) with famous parents had led the rest of the children in school to view the boy as stuck-up. And so they'd ignored him, and he'd returned the favor, choosing instead to bury himself in books.

It had taken Kaito a whole half year to get the boy to open up to him, but he'd always liked challenges. And he'd gotten a rather interesting friend for his troubles.

The day he had to leave, he'd dragged the boy to the park with him and showed him one more piece of magic. This time, however, it wasn't a trick. He knew he shouldn't have, but he'd wanted to. He never forgot that adorably confused expression as the other thought and thought and couldn't figure out how he'd conjured the glass medallion and made it float between his hands, unsupported from any direction.

Kaito didn't have many regrets in life, but one of those regrets was that he hadn't been able to bring that boy back to his world with him that time (his father had rather sternly told him that that would be kidnapping).

He had friends in his own world, naturally. He'd always made friends easily. But none of them were quite like the blue-eyed human boy.

Pausing outside the window of a rather large bookstore, Kaito glanced at the display beyond the glass. He could clearly picture a small figure all but plastered to the glass, trying to read the tiny text printed on the books being shown off. Nothing could make the boy happier than when he got his hands on a new book. He would read just about anything, but he'd had a special love for mysteries. The way his eyes actually sparkled whenever he got a new mystery novel had been quite breathtaking.

Kaito's brows furrowed slightly at the memory. Those eyes… That hair with its strange but cute little cowlick that refused to be combed away…

Why did he have the nagging feeling that he'd just seen—

He pivoted sharply and stared back up the street in the direction of the overpass. That human who'd nearly fallen down the stairs! That was why the boy's scent had been so familiar! How had he not made the connection sooner? Or, well, maybe that was natural. It had been many years after all. They'd both grown up a lot. Ah damnit, he'd missed a golden opportunity! He hated missing opportunities.

On the other hand, he now knew that his old friend must live somewhere around this area. And if he did then Kaito was confident that he would be able to find him.

Now, what had his name been again? He'd called the boy _Shin-chan_. But considering the language of this country, he knew that that was probably a nickname.

Hmmm…

X

Shinichi stood back and surveyed his half of the dormitory room. It had taken longer than he had anticipated to get everything put away (partly because he had had to go all the way back home to get his luggage first). It got easier once Hattori and Hakuba took their verbal jousting elsewhere. Organizing all the books he'd brought had taken the longest. He'd been sorting everything in alphabetical order by author then grouping them by series and publication dates. He'd almost finished when he discovered that he couldn't fit everything onto his shelf. The next hour and a half had been spent agonizing over which books should be shelved and which ones should be stowed away again and possibly taken home. The choice had been horribly difficult. But he was now finally done. His back was aching from being bent over his luggage all afternoon, and he was in desperate need of a cup of coffee. Oh yeah, and he supposed he should get dinner too (but coffee first!).

Throwing on a light jacket, he headed for the door. However, it opened before he could reach it.

And there, standing on the other side of the door, was the same young man who had saved him that morning from a tumble down the overpass stairs.

Shinichi blinked.

The stranger's eyes widened.

Two voices chorused, "It's you!"

 **TBC**

* * *

 **A.N** : This is a story I actually started a long time ago for my sister that I'm picking up again because I feel like I need something more light-hearted to work on. I guess I'm trying to lift my own bad mood, hehe. ^.^ Er, anyway! I hope you enjoy it. Happy Thanksgiving!


	2. Of Coincidence and Fate

Disclaimer: I don't own the DCMK characters.

* * *

 **Moon Over Eventide**

2: Of Coincidence and Fate

Kaito was delighted. It was Fate. That's what it was.

Standing before him was the very human he'd been thinking about. Not only that, but they were going to be roommates! He couldn't have asked for a better setup. The nametag on the door said "Kudo Shinichi". He might not have remembered it before, but he knew it was the right name. This was his Shin-chan alright, and he was all grown up.

Indigo eyes swept from the neat black hair with its rebellious little cowlick down to the sock-clad feet and back up again. He remembered that Shinichi used to look a lot like him. They still bore more resemblance to one another than most, and he suspected that they were going to spend the next year getting mistaken for brothers, but time had brought out quite a few differences as well. Aside from the obvious—their hair and their eyes—there was a subtle difference in the lines of their faces. It was in the arch of his eyebrows and the curve of his lips. Shinichi's features were a little finer and his skin a little paler (though that may have been a testament to a difference in lifestyles rather than genetics). He had a light build and long legs, Kaito observed, and he stood just a little shorter than the demon himself.

His little Shin-chan had grown up well. Kaito approved.

"Um, excuse me."

Kaito's attention snapped from his reverie to Shinichi's slightly befuddled stare. He grinned and swept into a bow. "Oh I'm sorry. I should introduce myself, shouldn't I? My name is Kuroba Kaito, though I would be most grateful if you would just call me Kaito."

"Kudo Shinichi," the detective introduced himself with a short bow. "Thank you again for helping me this morning."

Kaito laughed, waving a hand airily. "Don't mention it. To think we'd end up being roommates!"

"It certainly is a strange coincidence," Shinichi mused, retreating back to sit on the edge of his bed.

Kaito strode over to his own bed and snapped his fingers. There was a puff of smoke and a large bag of books with the university bookstore's logo printed on the side appeared on top of the covers. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Shinichi's eyebrows rise before the boy's brilliant, blue eyes narrowed in thought. He grinned to himself. He knew that look. It was the same one Shinichi used to wear every time Kaito showed him a new magic trick. Deciding that shelving his textbooks could wait, he turned back to Shinichi.

"So have you had dinner yet?"

Shinichi blinked at him. "Uh, no…?"

"Have dinner with me then. We can get to know each other better."

Shinichi couldn't help but notice that his new roommate hadn't so much asked as decided. But somehow, before he knew it, he was being towed out of the room and down the stairs. Another ten minutes and he was seated at a table inside the dining common closest to his dormitory building with Kaito seated across from him. The other was telling him about how he planned to be a magician and travel the world one day. The whole scene felt oddly…familiar, but he couldn't quite place his finger on why.

Unbeknownst to him, Kaito was watching him intently, reading the tiny flickers of emotion that danced across Shinichi's features. He could tell that the boy didn't remember him. It was a little upsetting, but he supposed that it had been quite a long time ago by human standards that they had last seen each other. Still, he had hoped that he'd left just as deep an impression on Shinichi as the young human had for him.

"So what about you?" he asked, switching tactics. "Any future plans?"

"I'm trying to decide between joining the police or becoming a private investigator," Shinichi replied automatically. He'd been asked the same question multiple times already (mostly by hopeful police officers).

"Ah, so you're going to be a detective then." Kaito smiled to himself. Shinichi had always said he'd be one someday.

"Well, actually, I already do a lot of detective work…"

The magician looked intrigued. "Really?"

Shinichi nodded, a little surprised. His name was in the news quite often, so he had grown accustomed to total strangers already knowing that he was a detective. Sure, quite a lot of them didn't believe he was any good, chalking his fame up either to the fact that he had famous parents or to the fact that he was still so young. Kaito, however, seemed really not to have known that he was already a detective.

"That's pretty cool," Kaito remarked, taking a large bite out of his roast turkey. "Tell me about some of your cases then. Have you run into any particularly interesting ones?"

And there was that casual commanding again. The guy had a way of making requests that not only sounded like he was giving orders but like he was giving orders he knew would be obeyed.

Well, maybe it was the way he'd been brought up, Shinichi mused. He'd said earlier that he used to travel a lot with his father, who had apparently been a famous magician. That meant his family was likely well to do. Perhaps he had servants back home or something.

Deciding it wouldn't hurt, and not wanting to sour the cheerful atmosphere by pointing out that it might be considered callous to ask a _homicide_ detective for interesting cases, Shinichi began to describe the case he'd run into that morning that had led to his tardiness. It had been one of the few cases he'd been a part of where the victim, though badly injured, had not actually died. He always felt happier after those cases, and he didn't mind sharing their details so much. Not that he disliked talking about his cases exactly. It was just that, once a case was over and done with, he didn't see the point in dragging it out to air over and over again to people who just wanted to hear a 'good story' or whatnot. Treating other people's misfortunes like a form of entertainment just didn't sit well with him. Current cases on the other hand, he liked discussing because discussion always had the chance of bringing to light new clues that could lead to the solving of the case. But he was getting sidetracked, wasn't he? He'd almost finished his tale when a familiar voice with a Kansai accent called out across the dining common.

"Kudo!"

Many heads turned at the shout, and Shinichi almost smacked himself in the forehead and groaned. Honestly, some people had no common sense.

Oblivious to the attention his shout had caused, Hattori Heiji came weaving his way between the tables and chairs with a tray in his hands. He was followed shortly by Hakuba. Shinichi wondered if they had been arguing this entire time and decided to have dinner together so they could go on arguing all the way until bed time. It wasn't impossible. He often got the impression that the two enjoyed trading verbal barbs, though last time he'd suggested it they'd spluttered (Hakuba) and roared (Hattori) at the preposterousness of the idea.

On the other side of the table, indigo eyes narrowed as a sudden flash of something dark that hadn't been there before flickered across his roommate's face. "Who are they?"

Caught off guard by Kaito's strange and sudden shift in mood, Shinichi backed away a little in his seat. "Them? The one who shouted is Hattori Heiji. He's from Osaka. His father's a police chief there, and he'll be joining the force once he graduates. The blond one is Hakuba Saguru. His father's like Heiji's, and I'm pretty sure he's also going to be joining the force when he graduates."

"They know you."

"Well, we do work together quite often," Shinichi agreed, feeling strangely like he was being interrogated. What was up with this?

"How long have you known them?"

"Uh, well, I met Heiji during a case at the beginning of high school. And Hakuba transferred to my school in second year after moving back to Japan from London. His Japanese wasn't very good at the time, but I could speak English, so the teachers asked me to show him around school and help him settle in. Then we found out that we both love Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's work, and…yeah."

"Then they stuck like glue and wouldn't stop yammering about Holmes this and Holmes that for five whole freaking hours at a time!" Hattori declared, dropping uninvited into one of the empty seats at their table. Hakuba took the opposite chair, so now their square table had a young man occupying each of its four sides.

"Shinichi," the blond said, completely ignoring Hattori's earlier outburst. "Am I right in assuming that this is your roommate?"

"You would be assuming correctly," Kaito cut in before Shinichi could speak. "Kuroba Kaito, magician extraordinaire." He sketched a half bow from his seat, keeping a Poker Face grin on his face as the newcomers introduced themselves as well. Behind his grin, however, he was scowling. These two humans had just barged in on his time with Shinichi without so much as a by your leave. The nerve! If they'd been demons, they would have sensed his power as a member of a Great House. Then they would have known to either steer clear or approach with cautious respect. The 'do not disturb' aura he'd been projecting would have made even other high ranked demons think twice before interrupting. Human instincts sure were dull.

Ah well, he supposed he might as well get to know these two. They did appear to be Shinichi's friends.

For the most part, conversation over dinner was light and none too personal. They talked about the classes they were signed up for and what they planned to major in. Hattori was worried because the professor for his sociology class was reputed to be impossible to please. It wasn't helping his mood that Hakuba, who was taking the same class, had a different professor due to being in a different section. Kaito was pleased to learn that he and Shinichi were taking the same chemistry class.

They were nearly done eating when Shinichi seemed to remember something. He turned to Hattori.

"How's Kazuha-san? I thought she would have been with you two."

The Osakan and the blonde traded looks over the table. "Guess we forgot to tell ya. It's weird. She was supposed ta be meeting up with her roommate, but the other girl never showed. They'd talked just this mornin' over the phone, so she tried calling the girl again. No one picked up. But according to the housing people, she did pick up her key, and her stuff is already in their room. It's like she vanished into thin air between checking in and meeting Kazuha. Kazuha's worried, so she went down ta the police station to file a report about it. Course you know you can't say someone's missing just 'cause they're a few hours late, but…" He shrugged. "She insisted on going anyway. Says she's sure something's wrong."

"You must admit it is a little strange," Hakuba pointed out. "Although, seeing as she is from out of town, it is highly possible that she has simply gotten lost."

"That's what I said ta Kazuha, but she said that didn't explain the girl not answering her phone. So I said maybe her phone ran out o' battery. So Kazuha goes 'fine, if you don't care, be that way. I'll go myself!' and hangs up on me."

Shinichi sighed. "So, in other words, you two had a fight."

Hattori spluttered. "I didn't say that."

"You didn't have to," Hakuba replied dryly. "You do have an unfortunate inclination towards engaging in senseless arguments."

"I do not!"

Kaito met Shinichi's gaze over the table. "Are they always like this?"

Shinichi heaved another sigh. "Unfortunately."

"I'm going to get dessert." Rising from his seat, Kaito made a beeline for the display of baked goods beside the salad bar. He returned with a slice of chocolate cake for himself and a miniature lemon pie for Shinichi.

The blue-eyed detective blinked in surprise at the plate being set down in front of him—partly because he hadn't asked for dessert and partly because Kaito had just gotten him his favorite dessert without once asking him what he liked.

"Is there a problem?" the magician inquired, already halfway through his cake.

Shinichi blinked at him them blushed, realizing that he'd just been staring at the pie. "N—no, nothing's wrong. I was just surprised… Thank you."

X

It was harder to see the stars in the human world.

Standing by the window of their dorm room, Kaito looked out and up at the night sky. Shinichi was already fast asleep, and all the lights were off. Kaito himself wasn't feeling the least bit tired though. He was still far too excited about being here in the human world again.

About meeting Shinichi again.

Turning from the window, he gazed across to where Shinichi lay still and peaceful upon his bed. Soft folds of starlight lay like a second blanket over the boy, parting the shadows and highlighting the peaceful lines of his face.

Beautiful, Kaito thought.

Padding across the room on silent feet, he came to a stop beside Shinichi's bed, looking down into the boy's sleeping face. A tiny glimmer in the shadows made him pause. Leaning down, he peered closer.

There was a thin, silver chain around Shinichi's neck. A necklace? Strange. Curious, he reached out and carefully hooked a finger under the chain to give it a light tug.

Something small and round slid out from where it had been hidden under Shinichi's pajama shirt. It was a pendant about the size of a coin. Round and flat, it appeared to be made of frosted glass. Etched into its surface was an intricate design centered around a four-leaf clover.

"You still have it," he murmured. Warmth flooded through him, and he smiled, indigo eyes bright.

Shinichi might not remember exactly who he was, but he had kept the gift Kaito had given him that day they'd said goodbye. He carried it with him even now.

That had to mean something.

* * *

 **TBC**


	3. Friends and Acquaintances

Disclaimer: I don't own the DCMK characters.

* * *

 **Moon Over Eventide**

3: Friends and Acquaintances

"So why are we going to the police station?"

Shinichi glanced up at the magician walking beside him. "Well, I'm going to see if they have any news about Kazuha-san's missing roommate." Why Kaito was going with him, however, he had no idea.

Ever since they had met five days ago, Kaito had been following him everywhere he went. Shinichi didn't exactly mind, but it _was_ a little strange.

Actually, strange was a pretty accurate description for the charismatic magician. He had been nothing but friendly towards Shinichi since they'd met, and his generally upbeat mood was contagious. But though he seemed open, Shinichi couldn't help but feel as though that openness wasn't entirely real. The magician also had an unfortunate inclination towards pulling pranks on people. In less than a week, he had dyed Hakuba's hair three different colors (and tripped him by tying his shoelaces to the legs of his chair that dime they'd all had lunch together) and turned Hattori's second favorite baseball cap into a cat that scratched the Osakan across the cheek before running off with a yowl. He'd bought the Osakan a replacement hat, but Heiji was still glowering every time he laid eyes on the guy. Shinichi had asked him why he didn't just return the original hat. But the magician had only laughed and cracked a joke about not knowing where the hat had run off to on its four new furry paws. Unbeknownst to Shinichi, Kaito hadn't been joking. He really didn't know where the hat cat had run off to. He could have found out if he really wanted to, but it didn't seem worth the effort.

"Kudo-kun!" Takagi-keiji greeted the young detective with a half relieved, half sheepish smile before his gaze shifted to look past Shinichi's shoulder. Upon spotting Kaito, his eyes widened to the size of dinner plates, and he blanched. "K—Kuroba-san?!"

Shinichi blinked, looking from the police officer to Kaito and back again. "Do you two know each other?"

"O—oh, uh, not—I mean, his father r—"

From behind Shinichi's back, Kaito narrowed his eyes.

"I—I mean, I know his father." The officer laughed nervously, rubbing at the back of his neck. "He—he helped us on a case. Yeah."

Shinichi raised an eyebrow at the somewhat unconvincing performance. Then again, Takagi had always been a bit like that. Most things the man said when he was nervous sounded like lies even when they were true. Still, why would Kaito's father make him nervous?

He might have pursued the question if Megure-keibu hadn't chosen that moment to come bustling up to them. The rotund inspector's eyes lit up at the sight of Shinichi. He hustled the young detective towards his office, saying something about wanting a second opinion on a recently closed case. Takagi made to follow them, but he didn't make it very far.

"So," Kaito drawled, looking the police officer up and down with an amused smirk. "Care to explain why you're here?"

Takagi gulped, trying not to cower. Of all the rotten luck! "Uh, well, I…"

"Your family isn't very happy with you, running off like that. Who'd have thought you came here to the human world of all places."

"Please don't tell anyone!"

Kaito pulled on a thinking face, though on the inside he was snickering. "As an heir to a Great House, I do kind of have an obligation to report it when someone's lingering in the human world without permission."

"Please, I'll do anything. Just don't send me back!"

"Why do you want to stay so badly?"

The police officer immediately flushed bright red as his eyes skittered to the side then back. Kaito followed Takagi's wandering gaze to the other side of the station's main lobby. There was a woman there barking orders at a handful of junior officers.

"Ah, so that's it. You're in love with that woman over there."

If possible, Takagi grew even redder. "What? N—n—no! I just…" He deflated under Kaito's pointed look. It seemed to the younger demon that the officer was trying his utmost best to melt into the ground. "I—I mean, I… I d—do, but you see, it's not, well…"

Kaito held up a hand to stem the other's babbling. "Okay, I won't tell anyone you're here."

Takagi brightened.

"On one condition."

Takagi wilted.

"From now on, if I call on you, you'll have to do what I say without asking any questions."

Takagi nodded quickly, relieved. He'd been expecting something much worse.

By the time Shinichi left Megure-keibu's office, the lobby was empty but for the lone figure of Kaito leaning against the wall by the office door. He fell into step beside Shinichi as the detective headed for the door.

"What are all those?" he asked, eyeing the rather thick manila folder in Shinichi's hands.

"Case files," Shinichi replied a touch absentmindedly. His thoughts were still full of crime scene photos and suspect profiles.

"All that for one missing girl?"

"No. There are four other missing persons. Since they all happened within the last week, there might be a connection."

"I see." Kaito looked at the fat file again. "You know, classes are starting the day after tomorrow. Is now really the time to be picking up five new cases? That's what the police are for."

Shinichi frowned. "Missing people is serious. If they're in trouble, the faster they're found, the higher the chances that we can actually help them. So if I can help at all then I will."

"True enough. Well, if you need anything, I would be happy to help."

Blue eyes turned to blink at him in surprise before a small smile ghosted across Shinichi's face. "Thank you."

Kaito's own expression softened into a fond smile that Shinichi missed because he'd already turned away. His Shin-chan really hadn't changed much at all.

X

He had spent the last five days thinking about it, and he had come to a decision.

Some people may have felt that five days was far too quick for decisions of such magnitude. However, he rather thought the decision had been many years in the making. Even if it hadn't, he'd always been the kind of person who knew exactly what he wanted when he wanted it.

Besides, his parents _had_ been telling him it was about time he found himself a mate. Of course, they had meant he should find a nice lady demon, but he'd never been one to let what other people might or might not think get in the way of doing what he wanted. The real problem here was how best to approach this.

Back at home, people of his rank didn't generally need to think about these things. Makai society was extremely hierarchical. It was a great honor to be chosen by a member of the Great Houses. If they were in the makai, all Kaito would have had to do was state his intentions, give Shinichi the traditional three days to think about it, then claim him. Simple. Of course, technically speaking, the three day grace period allowed anyone with objections to challenge the union in addition to giving the bride-to-be the opportunity to flee if the attention was unwelcome. However, no one ever turned down a member of a Great House. It just wasn't done.

He didn't know much about human social dynamics, but he was pretty sure they didn't work the same way. Not anymore anyway.

If Shinichi had remembered him, he would have just gone ahead and stated his intentions anyway. But considering the young detective still thought of him as a relatively new acquaintance, Kaito suspected that any such outright statement would not be well received. At best, Shinichi would probably think he was joking. At worst, he could end up scaring Shinichi away for good.

So, what to do?

He continued to ponder the question as he and Shinichi made their way back towards campus. They stopped by the university bookstore to check if the last of Shinichi's textbooks had come in yet. Since they hadn't, they ended up at one of the small cafés scattered about the school campus so that Kaito could grab a sandwich and Shinichi could get a coffee. The demon wasn't particularly surprised when, the moment they were seated, Shinichi opened up the folder he'd gotten from the police and began perusing the files inside. That look of intense concentration was as familiar to him as the backs of his own hands. It was the look Shinichi wore whenever he was faced with a mystery, be it from a novel or simply something odd he had seen in passing. While he was wearing that expression, Kaito knew that nothing short of the sky falling on their heads would pull him from his contemplations.

Polishing off the first half of his sandwich, Kaito took a swig from his iced cola before picking up the second. "So, any luck?"

"I'm not seeing a connection other than the timing all being recent," Shinichi murmured in reply, never once looking up from the reports. "I mean, there's Kazuha's roommate. As Heiji said, she moved her stuff into the dorms but disappeared on her way to meet Kazuha. Then there's this businessman in his late thirties who never came back from his lunch break. No one knows where he went for lunch, but his wife says that he called her shortly after he left the company building to say he'd bring something over to her workplace for her as well. He never reached her. The third disappearance reported was a twenty-seven-year-old clerk who worked at a department store. He was asked to retrieve some products from storage and never came back. Then there was a pair of tourists: a mother and her daughter. They told the father of the family that they were going to go look around the shopping district then meet up with him for lunch. Like everyone else, they didn't show up. All of these people seemed to have just vanished when they left their usual routine to perform some kind of quick task that shouldn't take too much time or at least which shouldn't interfere with their plans later in the day. But they never come back or never show up when they're supposed to. All of them stop answering their phones as well."

"If they had phones though, can't you track their locations with them?" Kaito asked. He'd read about it in a report about advances in human satellite technology and thought it sounded rather intriguing.

Shinichi shook his head. "They've tried, but the phones are either off, out of range, or being blocked. Besides, locating a phone isn't the same as locating the owner."

"How old were the tourists?"

"The mother was twenty eight, and her daughter was only five."

"So it sounds like these people are all of different ages and from different places and do different jobs. Do they look similar at all?"

"Well, I guess if you really want to stretch it, they all had black hair. But so do a lot of other people who are still perfectly fine. The styles were all different too.'

"Not a very useful connection then."

"No."

"What about hobbies? Any shared interests?"

"I thought of that too, and I think that was a no as well. The businessman had no hobbies, though he did enjoy good food. He cooked during his spare time and often brought food to his wife at her workplace so that they could eat together. His wife describes him as 'sweet and thoughtful'. She's been depressed ever since he disappeared. The tourists were just here to see the sights and buy things." Shinichi bit his lip, thinking. "I suppose you might be able to consider the location to be a connection. They were all in, or thought to have gone, to the local shopping district on the east side of campus. The department store the clerk worked at was there, and so was the jewelry store that the businessman's wife worked at. If he planned to bring her lunch, he could have been caught there. The tourists, we know, were on a shopping spree, and the ice cream parlor that Kazuha and her roommate were originally going to meet at was there as well."

"That does actually narrow things down then," Kaito pointed out cheerfully. "If you'd like, we could go over there this afternoon and see if anyone left any clues behind."

Shinichi brightened. "Let's do that." He took a sip of his coffee then began shuffling the papers back into their folder.

Kaito eyed the mug by Shinichi's hand. He'd noticed that Shinichi always ordered coffee. It was the first thing the boy looked for every morning, and it seemed to help him wake up. Kaito had read that the substance contained caffeine much like tea did. They only had tea back in the makai, so he'd never tasted coffee before. It did smell rather nice… And, well, Shinichi obviously loved it very much. Hmmm…

Shinichi's attention was jerked away from his file arranging by the sound of someone choking. He looked around quickly, expecting to see someone falling out of his chair while clutching his throat or something along those lines. Such things happened an awful lot whenever he went anywhere. Instead, his gaze landed on Kaito. He stared. The magician looked like he'd just bitten into a rotten apple.

"What—" Shinichi started then stopped as he spied the mug in Kaito's hands. That was _his_ coffee mug! "Hey! Give that back!" Reaching across the table, he snatched his mug. Kaito didn't try to stop him. Even so, Shinichi clutched the mug protectively to his chest and glared at the magician (who was still gagging and now pouring the rest of his cola down his throat). "What did you think you were doing?!"

Slamming his empty cola can onto the table, Kaito pulled a disgusted face at the mug being cradled in Shinichi's hands. "How can you drink that stuff? It's awful!"

"It is not!" Shinichi huffed, offended on behalf of his favorite beverage. "What kind of person just steals someone else's coffee anyway?"

"I just wanted to see if it was as good as you made it look. I didn't realize it would taste like _that_. Yuck!"

"Well, serves you right for being a thief." Shooting the magician another glare, Shinichi quickly downed the rest of his coffee before someone else could come along and try to steal it from him. Honestly, some people had no manners. Then he rose to his feet and shoved the last of the papers back into their folder. Kaito snapped his fingers, causing his trash and empty plate to vanish, before he rose to follow Shinichi out of the café. They were already halfway out the door when Shinichi suddenly froze, his gaze locked on the face of the clock hanging in the window of the building opposite.

He groaned. "I almost forgot. Ran'll be here in thirty minutes. We're all supposed to meet her at the Italian restaurant on University Drive."

"It takes almost exactly half an hour to get there from here on foot."

Shinichi grimaced, running a hand through his hair before his shoulders sagged. "The shopping center is going to have to wait. Ran made me promise not to be late this time."

"In that case, we had better start walking." Chuckling, Kaito draped an arm over Shinichi's shoulders (ignoring the boy's subtle attempts to dislodge it) and started steering him towards the street in question. "So who's this Ran person we're all going to meet?"

"She's my friend from elementary school," Shinichi replied. "She just got back from participating in a karate tournament. She had special permission to postpone her check-in day for the competition."

"So she is a martial artist then?"

Shinichi nodded. "She was the regional champion back when we were in high school."

Kaito whistled. "She's that good, eh? I suppose I'd better stay on her good side then."

Shinichi nodded again before he frowned. "We have a reservation, but it's for five people…." Unspoken was the fact that Kaito had not been on the guest list.

"I'm sure a sixth man won't make that big a difference," Kaito assured him.

Shinichi wasn't so sure about that. But he also knew that Kaito was not going to be deterred, so he opted not to comment. Instead he settled for trying again to nudge Kaito's arm off his shoulders. It didn't budge. Noting that it too was a lost cause, Shinichi gave up and wondered why it didn't bother him more. He was not a very physical person by nature, and he valued the personal bubble quite highly. It had taken him years to get used to Hattori's tendency to burst the bubble whenever he felt like it. Kaito had even less regard for his personal space than Hattori did, but he'd found to his surprise that it didn't bother him. There was that sense of familiarity again—like none of this was new.

Blue eyes turned to peer up at the side of the magician's face. Kaito was talking animatedly about something, but Shinichi wasn't listening because another voice was speaking from somewhere in the depths of his memories.

 _"Look! Isn't it amazing?"_

 _"It's so bright…"_

 _"I told you it would be. It's what the stars are supposed to look like. You just can't see them right in the city because you humans fill the night with far too much artificial light."_

 _"You say that like you're not human…"_

 _A laugh. "I guess it did sound like that, didn't it?"_

"Shinichi?"

At the sound of his name, Shinichi shook himself out of his daze to find Kaito looking at him with concern. They had stopped walking, and Kaito was leaning towards him. He was so close that their noses were almost touching as he studied the detective's face. Shinichi blushed and immediately tried to backpedal. Tried because Kaito's arm was still around his shoulders.

"What are you doing?" he half squeaked.

Kaito withdrew slightly, eyebrows rising. "Hey, you're the one who suddenly stopped walking. I was just asking if you were okay. You're not feeling sick, are you?" Frowning, he raised his free hand and felt Shinichi's forehead. "You do seem a bit warm."

"I—I'm fine." Turning even redder, Shinichi ducked out from under Kaito's arm. "It's this way."

The demon hid a grin as he followed Shinichi around the corner. The detective was cute when he was flustered. He had to wonder what Shinichi had been thinking about though to put such an expression on his face. It had been a slightly sad, almost lost sort of look: wistful and soft yet bittersweet.

Kaito hadn't liked that expression one bit. It made him want to pull Shinichi into his arms and hide him away from the world. Or, failing that, hunt down the cause and give him, her, or it a good pranking.

 **TBC**

* * *

A.N: Happy New Year!


	4. Of Years Long Past

Disclaimer: I don't own the DCMK characters.

* * *

 **Moon Over Eventide**

4: Of Years Long Past

It couldn't be…

Seated in the lecture hall where his comparative literature class would be taking place, Shinichi stared unseeing at the blank page of the notebook he'd brought for taking notes in. All around him, the lecture hall was slowly filling up with students. The murmur of their voices was a soft hum in the large room. Down by the podium, the professor was rifling through her lecture notes.

Shinichi barely noticed any of it.

 _"Come on Shin-chan, you can't sit there all day." A hand appeared before his face between his eyes and the pages of the book he was reading._

 _He looked up at the owner of the hand. The glare of the sun was in his eyes, but he could make out short, messy hair and the gleam of a grin. "I told you already, I'm reading."_

 _"And I told you, you can do that any time."_

 _Smoke obscured his vision. While he was coughing and trying to wave the stuff away, his book was yanked out of his hands. He let out an indignant cry._

 _A hand grabbed his, pulling him up from his seat without any apparent effort. "You can have it back later."_

It had been years since he had revisited those memories. Shelved in a special corner of his mind where their covers had long since been blurred by the dust of ages, those memories stirred a strange feeling in his chest. They had been special to him, those lost moments oh so long ago which he had spent with a boy he barely remembered. They were the memories of the first real friend he had ever had.

As a child, he had always been more interested in the worlds he could find in the pages of a book than the one that he lived in. He'd known that his classmates didn't like him—whether out of envy or some other fanciful notion, and he had decided that he couldn't be bothered with people like that. He'd told himself that they were petty and childish, and he'd convinced himself that he was better off by himself. Then a new student had transferred into his class.

No, his life didn't just change. To be perfectly honest, he'd barely noticed the newcomer for the first few months, quite content to read in the corner and let his classmates exclaim over the novelty of having a boy who could actually do magic tricks in their class. Things changed the day the transfer student dumped a bucket of white paint over his head and told him that he was going to get white hairs early if he didn't lighten up. Then the boy had laughed, and the rest of the class had followed suit. Shinichi had been so angry that he couldn't speak. The paint was water soluble and therefore easy to clean, but the book he'd been reading had been ruined. It was that more than anything that had upset him. He didn't expect the others to understand, but his books were and always would be among his most precious possessions. Of course he knew they could be replaced, and his parents certainly wouldn't mind replacing any damaged copies for him, but they were more than just things to him. His books were where his memories lived. The only memories he really cared for anyway.

It had been the last class of the day, so the teacher had sent him home early to clean up. Shinichi had run all the way home, telling himself that it was the wind that was making his eyes sting. He'd decided then and there that all kids his age were idiots.

Then, the following day—it must have been a Saturday, as there'd been no school—the devil himself had had the audacity to show up at Shinichi's house. Kudo Yukiko had quite cheerfully let him in despite the glare her son had been aiming at the back of her head. Still, Shinichi had resolved not to speak to or even look at the other boy. He hadn't expected the boy to push a new copy of the very book he'd ruined the other day into Shinichi's hands.

" _I know I can't really replace yours,"_ he'd said when all Shinichi had done was glare _. "But at least you can finish reading it now, right?"_

Shinichi had considered telling him that that was one of the worst apologies he'd ever heard, but then he'd have to break his earlier promise to himself and speak. So he'd stayed silent. He managed not to say a single word to the boy for the whole hour he was there. Looking back on things later, Shinichi knew that his behavior had been ridiculous, but at the time it had seemed the most logical thing in the world.

Even in the midst of his upset, however, he had been unable to get rid of the book. So he'd put it on the shelf and thought that that was the end of the matter.

It hadn't been.

The boy just wouldn't leave him alone. And, gradually, things had begun to change. Annoyance shifted into appreciation, and mistrust had given way to understanding. It had also led to certain…misadventures.

 _"They don't look right from here."_

 _"What are you talking about?"_

 _"The stars."_

 _"They look normal to me…"_

 _"That's because you've never seen them the way they're supposed to be."_

 _"Okay then. What are they supposed to be like?"_

 _"Come with me and I'll show you."_

Shinichi remembered following without any questions. By the time he'd realized just how far they were going, it had been too late to turn back. The boy had dragged him all the way out to the mountains into the middle of nowhere so they could go stargazing from the top of a rather frighteningly tall cliff. Needless to say, their parents had not been happy when they had tracked them down. It was the other boy's father who had materialized out of the darkness like a vengeful ghost and dragged them both back home.

The strange thing, Shinichi recalled, was that the man had seemed more upset at his son for bringing Shinichi with him to the middle of nowhere than for the fact that he'd gone himself. Shinichi had overheard the man scolding his son. He'd said something like _"Control yourself. He's only seven!"_. Although Shinichi thought that maybe he'd heard that incorrectly since Shinichi remembered the other boy saying he was eight. And an eight year old running off to the mountains by himself should be just as inadvisable whether or not he dragged along a seven year old friend.

It wasn't long after that that Teitan Elementary School had been rocked by the news that the popular resident magician would be leaving. Their class had thrown a farewell party for him.

It had hurt, saying goodbye…

 _"So you really are moving again."_

 _"Yeah."_

 _"Do you…know where you're going?"_

 _The pause was just a fraction too long to be normal. "Not yet."_

 _"Oh."_

 _"Don't worry. I'll come back one day, I promise. We'll go stargazing in the mountains again. Next time I'll make sure we don't get caught. That way we'll be able to watch the sunrise too."_

But saying goodbye hadn't been the hardest part. The hardest part had come afterward.

Shinichi had learned a lot about himself in the months after the other had gone. He'd learned that he really hadn't been as happy with his isolation as he'd told himself. He'd never really wanted to be alone. It was just that he had convinced himself that that was the way things were. True, the other kids his age didn't really understand him, but he hadn't made any real effort to understand them either. The experience had opened his eyes. Without it, he suspected that he wouldn't have ended up making friends with Ran and Saguru and Heiji.

He never heard from the other boy again. He'd waited. Hoped. He supposed that at some point he must have realized that it was an empty hope, though he wasn't sure when that had been. He did remember thinking that he really hadn't known very much about the other boy at all other than that his father was a magician and he planned to be one too. The other had had a tendency to change the subject whenever Shinichi got too curious about the places he'd lived and the things he'd done before coming to Japan, and he never did tell anyone where he was going after (and Shinichi felt it was highly unlikely that he really hadn't known). Perhaps, for him, those two years had just been a sort of 'passing through'. He'd certainly been the kind of person who could thrive anywhere.

That particular realization had been more painful that Shinichi cared to admit. But, as with all the other realizations, he'd accepted it.

He had almost forgotten about those memories until he'd looked up into Kaito's face the other day. It had been the expression on the other's face, the tone of his voice, and the weight of his arm around Shinichi's shoulders that had triggered the memory.

It would explain why Kaito's name had struck him as familiar.

Then again, even if that boy _had_ been Kaito, what would it change? It had been such a long time ago, and people changed. The past was the past. It was better (easier, safer) just to let it be.

The lecture hall lights dimmed, and the professor's voice crackled over the microphone.

"Can everyone hear me?"

X

"So ya find anything?"

Shinichi shook his head. "Nothing."

Heaving an irritated sigh, Hattori cast an eye over the crowds eddying past them. "With all these people around all the time, you'd think someone would've seen _something_."

"I think perhaps that is precisely the reason that no one did see anything," Hakuba replied, coming up from behind him and making him jump. "It is easy to be lost in a crowd."

Shinichi nodded in agreement. "We'll just have to keep looking."

"It'll have ta wait," Hattori replied, glancing down at his watch. "I got a discussion ta get to."

"I will stop by the station and see if the police have any new information," the blond volunteered.

"I'll keep searching a little longer." Shinichi watched as the other two detectives left before setting off himself. He made a last circuit of the area, looking for new people to question, before turning his steps homeward.

Ever since they had heard about the disappearances, he and his fellow detectives had been taking what time they could to scour the shopping center where the victims were suspected to have vanished for clues as to their fate. So far, they hadn't had any luck.

As he walked, his thoughts drifted. The first time he'd come to search, Kaito had invited himself along. Since then, however, the magician had apparently lost interest. Or perhaps it was more accurate to say that he had found interest elsewhere.

Shinichi was starting to wonder if he should be worried.

It had started when his roommate brought back a mountain of sappy romantic novels. Shinichi wouldn't have thought much about it if it weren't for the fact that every time he saw Kaito reading one of them the other had such an intense look of concentration on his face that it was really kind of creepy. He looked like some mad scientist fiercely intent on dissecting a delicate and rare specimen.

Suffice to say, that was _not_ the expression of someone enjoying literature.

Shinichi opened the dorm room door and peered inside.

Kaito was at it again now. Lounging on his bed, the magician had another of those novels propped open with one hand while he juggled three colorful balls and two small beanbags with the other. That same, slightly creepy grin was stretched across his face. He had been sitting like that for the past hour since Shinichi had gotten back.

Finally, the detective couldn't keep quiet anymore.

"Don't you have any homework?" he asked.

"Already done," Kaito replied without looking up.

"Oh." There was a long pause. "So…is that a good book?"

"Nah. The characters are pretty dull people."

"…So then why are you still reading it if it isn't any good?" With such an intense look of concentration no less.

"It's quite educational."

"It…is?" Now Shinichi _really_ didn't get it. Kaito hadn't mentioned that he was taking any literature classes this semester. But if it wasn't for a class then what could he have meant when he said it was educational?

Sensing Shinichi's anxious gaze, Kaito turned to flash the detective a broad grin that did not reassure Shinichi in the slightest. "Just give me ten minutes to finish going through this. Then we'll go get dinner."

That said, he returned his attention to his reading.

He'd had no idea before that human courting was so fun. There was so much to work with! Especially for someone who loved scheming as much as Kaito did.

Shinichi found himself wondering if he acted this strange when he was reading. If so then it was no wonder everyone was always telling him that he spent too much time with books. Then again, he seriously doubted that he had ever made a face like _that_ in his life—while reading or otherwise.

* * *

 **TBC**


	5. A Study in Romance

Disclaimer: I don't own the DCMK characters.

 **Warning: Silliness ahead!**

* * *

 **Moon Over Eventide**

5: A Study in Romance

It was time, Kaito thought as he shut the last of the horde of novels he had borrowed and mentally rubbed his hands together. By now, he felt fully confident that he understood the rituals of human courting. It was time to put it into practice!

X

Hattori Heiji looked up from where he had been idly flipping through his statistics textbook when the door to the library study room creaked open. He raised an eyebrow at the sight of Shinichi peering cautiously around the door. Blue eyes darted this way and that before sweeping upward to examine the ceiling then down to examine the floor. It wasn't until all corners of the study room had been given a good eyeballing that the blue-eyed detective eased the door open far enough for him to step inside. Said door was quickly shut again behind him.

Heiji coughed lightly and swallowed a laugh when his friend actually jumped. "Did something happen?" he asked. "Ya look like a rabbit that's been running from the hunting dogs all day."

Shinichi blushed and shot him a glare before padding over to an empty chair. He pulled his own copy of the statistics textbook out and set it on the table before slumping down over it with a groan.

"I think my roommate's gone insane," he mumbled.

"Oh?" Hattori leaned forward, interested. "How so?"

"Well, let's see. A few days ago…"

Shinichi groaned into his pillow as the alarm on his clock began to ring. It was too early, but it was always too early. The alarm paused them started up again even louder than it had been before.

Resigned to the inevitable, Shinichi rolled over and wrinkled his nose when something soft tickled it. Come to think of it, his pillow was smelling rather…floral. It was a soft sort of sweet that wasn't exactly unpleasant except that there was too much of it. That, and he didn't like sheets to smell like anything but freshly cleaned sheets. And there was that tickling at his nose again. He sneezed and opened his eyes.

His vision was filled with the color pink. He blinked. Never at his best in the morning, it took his sleepy mind several long seconds to decipher the images being sent to it from his eyes.

Flower petals? His pillow, his sheets—his entire bed!—was covered in pink flower petals. What in the world…?

He pushed himself into a sitting position and looked around. Pink petals shifted and fell away with his movement. Yes, his first thought had been correct. His bed had been filled and covered with so many pink flower petals that it—and he along with it—looked like some kind of cherry blossom pink mound of confetti. Although, he amended when he picked up one of the petals, rose pink may have been the more accurate description.

Confused but still a bit dazed from lack of caffeine, he climbed out of bed. Flower petals dropped from his clothes while others clung to the folds of the fabric or to the strands of his hair. It was only as he made to change that he noticed that his pajamas were no longer light blue. They were now white with tiny flowers embroidered here and there in a simple but tasteful sort of way. Roses again, the ever analytical voice in the back of his head pointed out unhelpfully. Despite the embroidery, they were extremely soft. They were not, in fact, his pajamas. In fact, now that he was really looking, the outfit was starting to look more and more like a woman's nightgown by the second. And not just because of the flowers.

He drew in a deep breath and tried to force his mind into working order. He hadn't had any coffee yet, but the discovery that someone had taken his clothes off him in order to give him new (rather clingy) ones while he'd been asleep was enough of a shock to clear away most of the morning fog in his head.

He took another deep breath and turned to the other side of the dorm room. There, seated on the edge of his own still perfectly normal bed, was Kaito. The magician was watching him with a pleased expression like someone viewing the completion of his artistic masterpiece. Something about that look made Shinichi's face begin to heat up.

"Kaito," Shinichi said calmly (because if he didn't hang onto his calm he was going to freak out). "What did you do to my clothes?"

"I put them away for you. These clothes suit your beauty much better."

"…" Shinichi opened his mouth then closed it again. Don't scream, he told himself. For the sake of his sanity, he decided to deal with the easier questions first.

"Why are there rose petals all over my bed?"

"They're my gift to you." The magician replied cheerfully as he hopped up off his bed. The next thing Shinichi knew, Kaito was standing right in front of him. He had picked up one of Shinichi's hands and was clasping it in both of his own as he beamed down into the detective's very confused face. "For my adorable little Shin-chan."

…Heiji was laughing doubled over the study room table. "Seriously? He filled your bed with rose petals and changed your clothes to match? God, I'd have loved to get pictures of that."

"Your wish might be granted," the detective ground out, not at all pleased by the prospect. "Stop laughing! It isn't funny."

"Yes it is," the Osakan retorted, still grinning. "I'm sure ya made an adorable little princess~."

Shinichi huffed, face red. "I _told_ you to stop laughing!" His words went unheeded.

"Seriously Shinichi, you can't have _just_ noticed the guy's a prankster," Heiji said when he finally got his mirth under control. "Just be glad he didn't turn your books into spiders or something."

"That was just the beginning!"

"There's more?"…

The last of his school books had _finally_ arrived. Next semester, he had to remember to order them earlier. Ecstatic at the prospect of new books, Shinichi had immediately raced down to the student bookstore to pick up his package. When he arrived, he was not expecting to see a package eight inches thick. The books had been wrapped together in brown paper. The package, therefore, looked like nothing so much as it looked like a massive, brown brick. A very hard, very heavy brown brick.

Shinichi got a roll of construction tape and taped two handles to the sides of the box. He hoped they would hold. Grabbing both handles, he'd fully intended to march the very hefty lot of books all the way back to his dormitory room.

He didn't.

The reason he didn't was that Kaito was suddenly standing behind him.

Kaito, who had said he had a quiz that morning in a class on the other side of campus. Kaito, who had also mentioned that he no longer needed anything from the university bookstore. Kaito, who should have been anywhere else—except that he wasn't because he was there in the store where he had no business being just in time to take Shinichi's package from him.

"I'll carry that for you," he'd offered _after_ commandeering the parcel. He held it in one hand, swinging it lightly from side to side like it weighed only a fifth as much as it really did. "Well, so where to next, Shin-chan?"

And of course all the other patrons and the woman behind the bookstore register heard the question and that dreaded nickname. They tittered, blushed, gaped, looked away, or performed some combination of the above.

…"So he helped you with your books. Big deal."

"He keeps ambushing me!"

"Yeah? Ta do what?"

"Well, he keeps—giving me things. And…and…"

"Yeah? And?"

"Well. Like yesterday. I got back from my morning lecture and…

Shinichi had only just opened the door to his room when he found himself with a face full of red roses. He backed away quickly, coughing. He wouldn't have been surprised if he'd accidentally swallowed a few petals during that assault. The next thing he knew, the entire overflowing bouquet was being pushed into his arms, and Kaito was there behind it, grinning that arrogant, 'I am amazing' grin that he never seemed to be without. "I found these lovely blossoms for you. Although they pale in comparison to the rose of your cheeks and the sapphire sparkle of your eyes."

Shinichi didn't scream, but he rather felt he would have been justified if he had.

Kaito had continued spewing the ridiculously overdramatic and slightly creepy lines until Shinichi couldn't bear it any longer.

"What is all this?" he demanded, voice coming out more like a squeak than he cared to admit.

"They are a mere token of my feelings for you," the magician had declared with all sincerity.

Shinichi blushed. "W—what?"

But either Kaito hadn't heard or he wasn't listening. With a snap of his fingers and a flash of light, he had relieved Shinichi of his backpack as well as the armful of flowers which were now sitting in a glass vase on the corner of Shinichi's desk. Then he looped an arm around Shinichi's waist, gently propelling him out the door with a cheery, "Let's go then. We don't want to be late."

"G—go?" Shinichi repeated a bit weakly. "Go where?"

"I made lunch reservations for us."

Shinichi tried to protest, but it was to no avail.

…"So he gives ya flowers and gifts and stuff, and he treated you to lunch," Heiji summarized. He was starting to see a pattern here. "Sounds more like he likes ya than that he's crazy."

Shinichi turned bright red and ducked his head. "That _would_ be crazy," he muttered. "He barely knows me! It's ridiculous. Not possible."

Heiji leaned down in an attempt to catch Shinichi's eyes, a smirk making its way onto his face. "Ya know, it's startin' ta sound like you like 'im back~."

Shinichi spluttered, but any rejoinder he might have made was forestalled by the opening of the study room door. Toyama Kazuha paused over the threshold, looking from the sniggering Heiji to the blushing, wide-eyed Shinichi and back again before shutting the door. "What did I miss?"

"Nothing!" Shinichi said quickly. He really didn't feel like going over everything again.

Fortunately (or unfortunately), Heiji was more than happy to retell it all for him. Kazuha listened with great interest while Shinichi tried to hide inside his textbook. By the time Heiji was done, Kazuha was also laughing. Some friends, Shinichi thought grumpily.

"I thought we were here to study for the statistics exam," he said, blue eyes peering balefully out from over the top of his open textbook. "If you two aren't going to focus then I'm leaving."

"Okay, okay. Jeez, yer so touchy."

They managed about an hour of studying broken by the occasional snicker or giggle from the two Osakan students before the door swung open again without warning, and in walked one Kuroba Kaito. "Hey there, Shin-chan. You all done studying yet?"

Three people jumped in their seats.

Shinichi gaped. "H—how did you know I was here?"

"Why wouldn't I know you were here?"

 _Um, because I never told you?_ Shinichi thought.

"Anyway, I got us tickets to that concert the university orchestra is putting on tonight," the magician motored on. "Come on. We can get dinner before we go."

Heiji and Kazuha were both rather amazed by the speed with which the magician had their friend bundled out of the room. He tossed a jaunty wave goodbye at them as they exited. They caught one last glimpse of Shinichi's slightly panicked blue eyes giving them a pleading look before the door shut again.

Left in the study room, the two Osakan students traded looks.

"I gotta admit, it is a bit creepy that he knew where ta come."

"A little," Kazuha agreed. "I think this is a good thing though."

Heiji looked dubious. "What? That Shinichi's roommate is stalking him?"

Kazuha snorted. "Of course that's not what I meant! I just think it'll be good for Shinichi-kun to spend more time with other people."

"So what're we then? Potted plants?"

"Oh shut up. That's not what I meant either, Stupid. Oh never mind. I don't know why I bother trying to explain anything to you."

Heiji stuck his tongue out at her. She rolled her eyes.

Still, she mused, though she did think it would do Shinichi good to make some new friends, she just couldn't shake the feeling that there was something not quite right about Kuroba Kaito. Her hand drifted unconsciously to touch the charm hanging beneath her shirt.

She couldn't understand where this feeling was coming from. Kaito certainly hadn't done anything to her to warrant it. The few times she'd met him, he had always been the perfect gentleman—certainly much better mannered than _Heiji_. And yet…

Whenever he was around, she found herself tensing. She would catch herself watching him warily out of the corners of her eyes and shying away whenever he drew near. Then she would feel terrible about it. She'd never considered herself to be a particularly suspicious person. And, when she thought about things logically, she quite liked Kaito.

So why did he make her feel so uneasy?

 **TBC**

* * *

 **A.N** : Er, I wanted to use ridiculous but logical misinterpretations, but they were rather hard to come up with -_- I hope it was at least funny. Anyhow! The next chapter for Travelers Chronicles should be up soon.


	6. When Least Expected

Disclaimer: I don't own the DCMK characters.

* * *

 **Moon Over Eventide**

6: When Least Expected

He had the vague impression that Shinichi was trying to avoid him. It was in the little things. On days when Kaito had early classes, Shinichi would sleep in until after the demon had left. This wasn't anything new exactly, but it was telling that he was always gone by the time Kaito returned whether Shinichi himself had classes that day or not. Then on days when Shinichi was the one with early classes, he would scramble out of bed at the very last minute, leaving himself just barely enough time to get ready and go running out the door. Again, this wasn't exactly new. Shinichi did seem to love his sleep. It was just that there were times when Kaito could sense that the detective was actually awake and only pretending to be asleep. The boy was also beginning to look for rather odd little corners of the university campus to do his studying in rather than returning to their room. Kaito had been forced to resort to using magic to divine his whereabouts.

It was a little vexing. How was he supposed to woo Shinichi if he had to spend all his time tracking the boy down?

That brought him to his second problem. Shinichi wasn't responding to his advances the way Kaito thought he should. He blushed a lot, which Kaito found rather adorable, but he often followed it up by trying to run away. Kaito didn't think that that was a normal human reaction to receiving gifts and compliments, but he supposed he could be wrong. It wasn't what was supposed to happen according to his studies, but books did have a tendency to deviate from real life. In any case, human courting was starting to resemble nothing so much as the hunting of some rare and very timid prey.

But no matter! All things worth having took effort to acquire. Besides, it was more fun when it was a challenge.

X

"Coffee?"

Shinichi took an involuntary step back as a to-go cup appeared before his face without warning. He didn't have to look up to know who the hand holding the cup belonged to. So now Kaito was lying in wait outside his classroom. Somehow that wasn't surprising either. Creepy, but not surprising. On the other hand, the magician had apparently brought him coffee. He could never resist free coffee.

He accepted the cup with a hesitant smile. "Thank you."

Kaito's grin widened, and he fell into step beside the detective as they made their way through campus. "So are you heading back yet?"

"Only to drop off my things. I was planning on going to the shopping center east of campus."

The magician arched an eyebrow. "Again? I thought you'd already scoured the place."

"There have been three more disappearances that could be related," Shinichi replied, lips thinning as he thought. "Like the other five, these people seem to have gone missing in the vicinity of the shopping center. Their families have also received no ransom demands, nor have any bodies been found. They just vanished, leaving almost no traces that they were ever there."

"You said almost no traces," Kaito observed. "As in there was a trace this time?"

"One of them sent this picture to her boyfriend before she disappeared." Fishing his phone from his pocket, Shinichi pulled up the image in question then handed his phone to Kaito.

The demon examined the image as they walked. It was a rather blurry picture. All the edges were faded as though the image had been taken in a dense fog—a dense, turquoise fog at that. Despite the terrible quality of the image, Kaito could make out what appeared to be a shop window beyond which a handful of mannequins stood. The focus of the image, however, was a shadowy figure in the heart of the blue green fog. The shadow of the shadow was a wavering smear stretching towards the photographer, suggesting that the blankness around and behind the figure wasn't just your average fog. It had to have been glowing quite brightly.

A bright but foggy blue green light… A shadowy figure wreathed in its radiance… Disappearing humans…

"It's a little hard to be sure, but if we can find the display window there on the side of the image, we'll be a step closer to figuring out what happened," Shinichi explained. "The people who work in the shops around there might have seen something."

"They won't have seen anything," Kaito murmured under his breath.

Shinichi glanced up at him. "What was that?"

"Nothing, nothing." Kaito handed the detective's phone back to him. "It's not a lot to go on."

"No," Shinichi agreed. He relaxed as his thoughts focused on the case at hand. "But it's more than we had before."

Kaito made a noncommittal noise in the back of his throat. "Do you at least have a plan? Or are you really going to spend all afternoon comparing this photo to every display window in the shopping center?"

"I will if I have to, but I'm hoping it doesn't come to that. I called the victim's boyfriend this morning, and he agreed to meet with me. He might be able to help us narrow down the search."

"I see."

The detective cast a surreptitious glance at his roommate as they stopped to wait for a traffic light to change. He was relieved that Kaito seemed to be acting more normal today, especially since it seemed clear that he intended to tag along on the investigation.

It wasn't like he disliked Kaito or anything, he mused. Quite the opposite. He just didn't know how to respond to what he saw as the magician's sudden bout of insanity. And the best solution to the situation that he could think of was to avoid it altogether and hope that the phase blew over soon.

Sometimes Heiji's words came unbidden to his mind, but he would dismiss them as quickly as they came.

X

"Thank you for meeting with us, Takeda-san."

"It's alright," the young man seated on the other side of the smoothie shop table replied with a wan smile. "If there's anything I can do to help find her…"

Shinichi nodded in understanding. Pulling a map of the shopping center from his pocket and unfolded it. He lay it on the table. "From the image that Miyama-san sent to you, we can tell that she was outside a clothing shop that has mannequins in its front window sometime before her disappearance. I was wondering if you had any idea which shop it might have been or what area of the shopping center we should start looking in."

"Well…I don't think she had any favorite clothing stores… There is a small bookstore dedicated to Fung Sui that she visits quite often though. She was really into that kind of thing. And I think there was a dress shop near there."

Shinichi's face lit up. "We'll start there then. Do you know which bookstore that is?"

Takeda leaned over the map. He traced his finger down the list of stores below the diagram. His finger came to a stop atop the name _Winds of Fortune_. "This one, I think. Yes, it was this one. So that would be…here." He stabbed a finger at a spot near the far corner of the map. Then he looked up at them, his expression a strange cross between anxious, hopeful, and wary. "If you find anything…"

"We'll let you know immediately," Shinichi said.

The man smiled a little as he inclined his head. "Thank you."

X

It was, Kaito mused, a rather irritating habit of Fate that it liked to meddle with people's plans. Here it had reunited him with his Shin-chan, but rather than letting him go about courting his detective in peace, it just had to throw this wrench into his plans.

If it had been a human problem, he could have let them get on with it and just kept a watchful eye out for his Shin-chan's safety. But he was starting to suspect that there were demons involved. And if that was the case then he couldn't ignore it. He had his responsibilities just as Shinichi did, after all.

 _"What's this Fung Sui?"_ he had asked Shinichi earlier.

 _"It's the idea that the way you arrange the space around you can bring or hinder good fortune, health, and other such things,"_ Shinichi had explained. _"For example, it's generally considered bad to have a tree growing right in front of your front door because it will block out the good fortune. There are a lot of variables though, and there are people who make a profession out of helping people figure out how best to arrange their homes and business spaces depending on what they want."_

 _"Oh, I've heard of that before."_

He recalled his father telling him about it. While humans didn't have any magic of their own, there were some humans born who were more sensitive to the supernatural. Such humans had, over the course of their history, developed ways to harness the natural magic that existed in the world around them.

" _It isn't terribly effective in terms of active magic,"_ his father had said. _"But some of them can be quite skillful when it comes to dividing and other such fields. In fact, when it comes to the more spiritual arts, some have theorized that humans may be much better suited than we. The strength of our own magic interferes with our ability to connect to the spirits of other living beings. It is much like how you cannot hear softer sounds if you yourself are busy shouting. Our souls are simply too loud. Human souls, on the other hand, sing a much quieter melody. That means they would be able to hear those other sounds we cannot, and, if properly trained, harmonize with them and, by doing so, enhance or alter them. Their problem lies mainly in that most of them have closed themselves off with their disbelief. It's a shame, really."_

It was one of the subjects of his father's studies whenever he visited the human world. There were others in their world, however, who weren't interested in studying so much as _using_.

"Kaito? Are you okay?"

Surprised at the question, Kaito turned to find Shinichi looking at him with anxious blue eyes. He couldn't help but smile at the sight. "I was just recalling something my father once said."

Shinichi didn't look entirely convinced, but he turned to gesture at the shop before them. "We're here."

The Winds of Fortune bookstore was not particularly large. Despite that, the owner had managed to squeeze an amazing number of shelves into it. Not all the shelves were lined with books either. There were also a number of trinkets, ornaments, and even potted plants. There was also a rather large tank filled with live fish.

Kaito grimaced and edged past the container. The bug-eyed little critters reminded him of Lady Akako of the Crimson Sea. Her true form was, after all, half fish. While he would admit that the first time he'd seen her in that shape, he had noted how graceful she was, that didn't make up for her faults.

"Ah, Miyama-san. Yes, she was here four days ago," the elderly woman behind the counter said, smiling. "She came to pick up the wind chimes I'd ordered for her."

"Did she come alone?"

"That's right."

Kaito kept one ear on the conversation as he examined the shop and the street outside. This particular section of the shopping center was full of narrow pathways that wound between smaller specialty stores like this bookstore. The crowds that amassed in the other parts of the shopping center thinned here to a mere trickle. Most people who came this way knew exactly what they were looking for and where to get it. It really was ideal. All these twists and turns would make it much harder for anyone to notice a person walking around one corner yet never rounding the next.

Noticing that the sounds of conversation had ended, he turned to greet Shinichi as the detective emerged from the miniature maze of shelves. "I would ask if you found what you were looking for, but I can see from your expression that you haven't."

"We just have to keep looking. There's a dress shop a few doors down. We can try there next."

Kaito nodded and held the door open for Shinichi. He knew it was pointless to ask around. There wouldn't have been any witnesses of the actual kidnapping. But he couldn't tell Shinichi that. The detective wouldn't believe him, and he hadn't planned on revealing his true nature to Shinichi until he had secured his position in Shinichi's life.

The dress shop wasn't hard to find. Shinichi's heart sank at the sight of it, however. It was a shop specializing in wedding dresses. Not only that, but the words printed on the door announced that they designed every dress specifically for the individual who requested it. Therefore, the shop only opened by appointment. Even now, it was dark inside. The chances of anyone having been there at the time of Miyama's kidnapping was rather low. Still, he pulled out a notebook and jotted the shop's phone number down anyway. He could call and ask later just to be sure.

When he was done, he turned to Kaito. The magician had been strangely quiet this entire trip. It was starting to make Shinichi nervous. He was not particularly reassured when he found Kaito examining the mannequins in their wedding dresses then looking at him and back again in a rather assessing manner.

"I will not find it funny," he said just in case it did any good.

The magician cocked an eyebrow at him. "What won't you find funny?"

Shinichi opened his mouth then shut it again. Then he turned away quickly to hide the pink flush he could feel rising in his face. If Kaito hadn't been planning a prank about it, Shinichi certainly wasn't about to give him the idea.

It was only because he turned at that exact moment that he saw it.

There was a hint of turquoise in the air at the next corner.

He froze, staring hard. It wasn't his imagination. He set off towards the corner at a run.

Kaito (who had indeed been somewhat distracted by thoughts of his Shin-chan in a wedding dress (even though he didn't understand the garments. They didn't seem practical, but customs weren't meant to be practical)) was rather confused when Shinichi suddenly set off running. It wasn't like Shinichi could read his mind. Was it something he'd said? But he hadn't really said anything.

And that wasn't the kind of running you saw in a person running away from something. That was the way someone ran _towards_ something. So what—

He smelled it before he saw it. It was a cool, damp smell like fog crawling over stone and earth with a hint of wet foliage and the faintest tangs of spice. Damn.

He ran after Shinichi.

The detective had already rounded the corner. The blue green hue to the air was thickening, and he could see now that it wasn't so much fog as a haze of light. Through it, the shops to either side of him and the ground beneath his feet looked faded and flat like paintings: unreal. The only thing in this pastel world that looked truly solid was the two girls rounding the next corner ahead of him. Picking up his pace, he started to cry out to them.

That was when a hand clamped itself over his mouth as an arm wrapped around his waist, pinning his arms to his sides. The next thing he knew, he was being jerked back away from the corner he'd been just about to turn. Then he was promptly pushed up against the wall of that corner which, despite its surreal appearance, was still very solid indeed.

He couldn't speak because of the hand over his mouth, so he craned his neck around to glare instead. He was startled to find that his captor was Kaito. The magician was looking down at him with a pair of intense, indigo eyes that seemed to bore right through him, pinning him where he was even more effectively than the magician's physical hold on him.

"Don't move," the magician said, tone quiet but commanding. Shinichi stood stalk still. What was going on?

He could hear voices from around the corner. Voices that were not saying things that should be said.

Turning his head, he found he could just barely manage to peek into the adjacent street where the two girls were.

The girls were no longer alone. What had been an empty but luminous street was now occupied not only by the two confused girls but three large, dark men in strange clothes. Their faces were hidden behind the deep hoods of their cloaks, and was that the glint of armor under there?! People dressed like that in the movies where you were supposed to go fight monsters and charge dragons or whatever. You did not wear those sorts of clothes to a shopping center. They were clearly meant for battle. And while the shopping center could conceivably be seen as a battlefield, it was not the kind of battle these visitors had in mind.

"You'll be coming with us," the largest of the men said to the two girls who had long since stopped chatting about the MCB test they'd taken that morning.

"What are you talking about?" one of them demanded, trying to be brave despite the quaver in her voice. The shortest of the strange, armored men was two whole heads taller than she was.

"The Master needs you. Therefore, you will come with us."' "And if we don't want to go?" the other girl asked, voice trembling but just as defiant as her friend. Her hands were inching their way into her purse, probably in search of a phone or a possible weapon.

"Then we will take you by force," the man replied without any hint of anger or contempt. It was just a statement of a truth.

Shinichi tensed. This was not looking good.

"We have to help them!" He squirmed, trying to pull himself out of Kaito's grasp. If they didn't intervene now, he just knew that those girls were going to be the next set of files in this missing persons case. He refused to just sit around and let a kidnapping happen before his very eyes. Sure, those men were much bigger than he was, but all that armor had to be heavy. If he could distract them then they could all make a run for it. Then, once they had put some distance between the armored men and themselves, they could call the police.

Unfortunately, he couldn't do any of this as Kaito still had a hold of him. If anything, his grip had tightened. Shinichi was starting to feel like the filling in a very squashed sandwich.

"Stop _wiggling_ ," Kaito hissed.

"But we can't do nothing!" Shinichi hissed back, trying again and failing again to get out of Kaito's grasp. Trying to budge the magician was like trying to move a mountain bare-handed. Not happening. "Don't you get it?" he demanded, frustrated. "They're being kidnapped!"

"There's nothing we can do right now," Kaito snapped back just as vehemently. "If they see you, they'll take you too." And he was not letting that happen. "I promise I'll find a way to help them later."

To his immense relief, Shinichi finally settled down. After all, now was not the time to be fantasizing about having Shinichi's warm, soft, human body writhing under his.

"You know something," the detective said quietly, blue eyes focused intently on his face. "Who are they?"

"I'll explain everything later," Kaito said firmly. "Now _shut up before they hear you_."

Back out in the heart of the foggy light, the girls had decided to try and make a run for it. They didn't get very far. For such large men wearing so much metal, the three kidnappers were startlingly quick on their feet. What Shinichi couldn't understand was the way the girls slumped unconscious the moment they were caught. They hadn't been struck, nor had they been drugged in any way he could see.

"Damned humans, always have to make a fuss," one of the men remarked as he slung his captive over his shoulder like she was a sack of flour. "They ought to just do what they're told."

"Let's just get back," his companion grunted. "This place stinks of humans."

The third man, who didn't have a girl to carry, turned and waved his arms in the air. It looked almost like he was writing something, Shinichi thought, squinting. Then the three were walking away, victims in hand, except that they didn't appear to be getting any farther down the street. Or were they? Their silhouettes were getting more and more indistinct, and they were also getting smaller and smaller, but they never passed the doors of the next shop. Instead, they just dwindled out of existence. The moment they were gone, the green blue light that had been permeating the world also vanished, leaving everything looking just as solid and real as it had before.

Now, finally, Kaito let Shinichi go (though not without a certain amount of reluctance). He watched as the detective immediately headed around the corner to examine the spot where the kidnapping party had vanished. Eventually, Shinichi had to admit that there was nothing to find—not even a trace to hint at where they might have gone or how they might have left. Frowning, he turned back to look at Kaito, gaze searching.

"You promised that you'd explain what you knew."

"I haven't forgotten," Kaito assured him, his voice and face void of his usual jesting tones. "We'll talk when we get home."

 **TBC**

* * *

A.N: Almost didn't finish this in time. I had a terrible weekend where it felt like everything that could go wrong did so. -_-


	7. Of Past and Present

Disclaimer: I don't own the DCMK characters.

* * *

 **Moon Over Eventide**

7: Of Past and Present

The walk back to the dorm was a tense and silent one that was almost more tiring than everything else that had happened that day combined. The moment the dormitory room door shut, Shinichi flopped down onto his desk chair. He would have sat on his bed instead, but he knew that, if he did, he'd be asleep within seconds, and Kaito would slither out of having to do any of the explaining he'd promised he'd do.

Kaito paced once around the room before pulling his own chair out from under his desk and plopping into it. He took another moment to double check the wards he'd laid as he circled the room. It wouldn't do for anyone outside to see or hear anything they shouldn't. Speaking of people stumbling over things they shouldn't have… He turned his gaze to Shinichi. He wasn't at all surprised to find a pair of brilliant blue eyes gazing straight back at him from a stubbornly determined face. He almost smiled, but he knew better. Who would have ever thought that they would have come to this point already? He had been expecting to have more time, but he supposed his plans had always had a tendency to go awry around Shinichi.

He still remembered in vivid detail that cherry blossom festival he and Shinichi had attended back when he'd still been at Teitan Elementary. Kaito had had the whole day planned out in advance. There had been the traditional picnic under the cherry blossom trees with their parents. That part had gone as expected. But then he'd coaxed Shinichi into sneaking away with him to explore the different events being held in the park. He'd researched all the stalls and special activities beforehand and had the entire evening all mapped out, culminating in a boat ride on the park's large lake. The problem was that, as they'd walked amidst the other park visitors with their hands full of assorted snacks, Shinichi had spotted a man in the process of slipping a wallet out of a woman's purse. Shinichi had cried out, the pickpocket had run, and they'd given chase. They'd chased the pickpocket all over the park before Kaito had tackled the guy into a heap of flower petals. Shinichi had promptly sat down on the man's legs and pulled out his phone to call the police Before he could finish, however, the pickpocket had broken down and started blubbering. It turned out the man had recently lost his job, but he had been too afraid to tell his family. So he'd spent hours lingering at the park, pretending he was at work. Now his daughter's birthday was coming up, and he'd promised her a gift. All she'd asked for was a box of the pink mochi being sold that day. It wasn't much, but it was more than he'd been able to give her, and so he'd caved to the pressure inside him and tried to steal a woman's wallet. Kaito had thought the man a bit of a coward but a pitiable coward. Shinichi had just felt sorry for him even if he could not condone his actions. They had ended up accompanying the man to return the wallet to its rightful owner. She had patted Shinichi on the head in thanks and handed him (rather coincidentally) a box of mochi.

"I just bought it," she told him. "But I got extra boxes. So you can have one if you want."

Shinichi had thanked the woman very politely then turned and offered the box to the pickpocket. The man had taken it in trembling hands and smiled a rather watery kind of smile.

If that had been the end of the story, Kaito and Shinichi would still have made it to their boat ride. But no, the man had decided to grow a backbone. He decided he would tell his family the truth.

"The truth is always better," Shinichi had agreed with all the conviction in his seven year old body. "Tell them the truth. They'll understand."

Kaito wasn't so sure that things would be that simple, but of course it meant that they were off with the pickpocket to meet his wife and daughter where they were waiting on a white picnic cloth for him to return with the prize he'd bought for his daughter. Kaito hadn't really minded. Shinichi was the kind of person who, when faced with a problem, would do whatever he could to help solve it even if that problem had nothing to do with him. He never stopped to ask if the people in question were worth helping because, to him, such questions were meaningless. It was just one of those things that made Shinichi who he was, and Kaito wouldn't change him for the world. But it did wreak havoc with the magician's schemes—er, schedules.

The man's wife and daughter had been most confused when he had prostrated himself on the petal-carpeted ground before them and begged them for their forgiveness. They had been even more astonished when they'd heard what he wished to be forgiven for. But in the end they had helped him up and told him that everything was going to be okay. The lying was unwelcome— _"Don't ever do it again!"_ —but his wife's brother's company just so happened to be in need of a new man with a good head for numbers.

And so, in the end, they had caught a pickpocket, sort of, and put a family back together (somewhat preemptively). And they had completely missed the rental times for the boats that you could take out onto the lake.

Sitting side by side on the very edge of the shore, Kaito had skipped a pebble across the glittering waters. It skipped six times before vanishing beneath the petal-dusted waters.

 _"I'm sorry we missed the boats. It does look like it would have been beautiful,"_ Shinichi had murmured, more to himself than to Kaito as he looked out across the lake ringed with all those cherry blossom trees. _"To see all that from on the water. I'm sure it would look magical. Especially when the sun starts setting."_

Kaito had looked up at the darkening sky and knew that the sunset was a mere half hour or so away. Rising from his seat, he waved his hands in the air then clapped three times. Shinichi yelped and fell backward as there was an explosion of black and white feathers. When the storm of feathers had cleared, there had been a small, black and white boat sitting in the water before them. Kaito had already climbed onto the farther seat, and he gestured for Shinichi to take the nearer one.

"How did you get this here?" Shinichi demanded, sitting gingerly down on the white plastic seat.

"Magic," Kaito replied cheerfully. "What did you think?"

Shinichi rolled his eyes. But as the sun dipped lower and the lake began to glow like liquid fire, their little black and white paddleboat drifted out across the water just as a gentle breeze began to blow. With it, the soft, pink petals of the Sakura trees began to fly, filling the air with a gently fragrant storm, soft and pink and ethereal as mist and sunshine.

So it had turned out that he had managed to salvage the main item on his plans in the end. That was the funny thing about disruptions. While they could be irritating, they made it even more satisfying when you were able to find a way to bring your plans to fruition despite the setbacks.

"Kaito?"

Coming back to the present, Kaito smiled at his beloved's suspicious face. "Yes?"

"You said you were going to explain."

"I did."

"So…?"

He heaved a melodramatic sigh. "There's just so much to say that I really don't know where to start." It was true too.

"Well, what about starting with those men? Who were they?"

"Ah, those guys. Judging from their size and their armor, I'd say they were soldiers from the House of Burning Ash or the House of the Eternal Tide. I didn't get a good enough look at their armor to be sure which."

Shinichi's frown only deepened. "What are these Houses you keep talking about? Are they some kind of organization?"

"No, no, nothing like that. They're a bit like your human clans. We have five Great Houses. And under each Great House, we have lots of middle and lower houses. For instance, mine is the House of the Phantom Moon. We are a Great House. Then there is the House of the Whispering Wood. They're a middle house that serves under mine. Their name is a bit misleading though, if you ask me. The whole family's got lungs like a blacksmith's bellows!"

"Wait, wait. What did you mean by 'your human clans'?"

"It's not really an ambiguous statement, is it?" Rising to his feet, Kaito crossed the space between their chairs in one long stride and leaned down until his nose was almost touching Shinichi's. "They're—we're—not human."

The detective jerked back at the sudden invasion of his personal space. He didn't get very far. His chair rocked backward, nearly tipping right over, but then it righted itself with a thump, bringing him right back to where he had been. He went cross-eyed trying to keep track of his roommate. Kaito's grin did not look any more reassuring up close. In fact, it was extremely unsettling, especially since…since…

Blue eyes grew wide. Were those _fangs_ he was seeing? They certainly weren't normal canines. But he was almost positive that Kaito hadn't had them before. Shinichi didn't make a habit of staring at people's teeth, but he was still pretty sure he would have noticed sooner if his roommate had always had fangs. Therefore they couldn't be real. Right? Kaito was, he knew, more than capable of making it look like he had real fangs. But why would he bother? Even if the magician was a prankster, Shinichi didn't think he was the kind of person who would pull such a prank at a time like this. There was also the minor matter that he shouldn't have had the time. The two of them had been together since he'd offered Shinichi coffee outside his classroom. He shouldn't have had any time to put fake fangs in, and he couldn't have known this conversation would come up.

"Yoohoo~, anyone home?"

Coming out of his daze, Shinichi raised his hands, pushing at the magician's shoulders in an attempt to reaffirm his personal bubble. He couldn't think with Kaito looming over him like that. His chair tipped backward again when Kaito didn't budge. Fortunately, the magician seemed to get the hint because he straightened and backed off a step.

Shinichi swallowed, still unable to take his eyes off of the—the unusually sharp teeth. "Those—"

"They're real," Kaito said cheerfully before he could finish the question.

"But—"

"They're usually hidden by magic. It's really quite easy. My family's true forms don't tend to deviate too much from that of you humans. Taking human forms is much harder on demons from houses like the Crimson Sea."

"Demons…?" Shinichi blinked. "What, like evil beings from Hell?"

Kaito twitched. "No. We're alive, and we're mortal, more or less. We also come in just as many shades of character as humans do, and that includes jet black. In fact, the legends say that, a long, long time ago, our peoples were one and the same. But then my ancestors found a way into the makai. Call it a magic world, if you will. Then, depending on whose telling the story, either we evolved while you humans didn't, or both our peoples evolved, just in different ways."

"So…you're telling me that you're from another world," Shinichi summarized. He wasn't at all sure what to make of this…news? Story?

"Think about it as a parallel universe. One where the natural magic is a lot more powerful. Ironically, if you compare a map of the makai with a map of the human Earth, you'll see that they share many geographical features. But the wear and tear of time and the evolution of our civilizations have altered them slightly, so they aren't exact duplicates. Take the Japanese islands for instance. We don't have them because they were destroyed when one of my ancestors had a spat with someone from the Crimson Sea."

"Okay. So a parallel universe where people with…with magic live."

"Yeah. And that would be us demons."

Shinichi nodded slowly. He was starting to see the picture, though he still didn't know if he believed it or not. It was just too much to swallow at once. He needed more clues if he was going to take such a huge leap of logic. Still, he couldn't deny what he'd seen in that alley.

Five grown humans—or not humans, as the case may be—had walked away into nothingness without ever leaving the spot where they had been standing. And they had done so without leaving any traces of their passing or any mechanisms that might have helped them build such an elaborate illusion.

Then there was the fact that, even after all this time, not a single hint had been found about where or how the missing people might have gone. They had vanished so completely and for so long that he could almost believe they really had been dragged into another world.

This was going to make rescuing them a lot harder, wasn't it?

Shinichi drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly before lifting his gaze to meet Kaito's expectant indigo orbs. "Let's say, for the sake of discussion, that I believe you that there are demons and this other world and magic and all that. I'll even say I believe that you're not human, and that those men weren't human either."

"That's about the whole of it then."

"What I meant was, if I believe all that was real, how would we bring those people back?"

"You ask a difficult question, my deer Tantei-kun," the magician murmured.

Shinichi didn't like the sound of that. "Difficult how?"

"Well, it rather depends on what exactly has been done with them. Wouldn't you agree?"

And that sounded even worse. "Do you think that they're dead?" Shinichi's stomach twisted nauseatingly. If they had just stood there and watched as those two girls had been taken away to their deaths… He'd never be able to forgive himself.

Kaito took so long answering that the detective was expecting the worst. But the magician eventually shook his head. "It would be too much trouble to go to just to kill a few humans. I can't say for sure about the earlier victims, but those girls today, at least, are most likely alive. The real difficulty lies with the culprits. The Burning Ash lot are damned hard to reason with. But at least they talk. Trying to hold a conversation with anyone from the Eternal Tide is like trying to converse with an ice sculpture. Boring as hell and pointless to boot." Heaving an exaggerated sigh, Kaito pulled a sheaf of white paper out of the air with a flourish. The paper was left to hang suspended in mid air as the magician conjured a quill pen. He began to write on the floating paper as though it was sitting on an invisible podium. "I'll have to notify Dad about this."

Shinichi tried not to stare at the hovering paper. How was Kaito doing that? Shinichi knew for a fact that there were no wires or glass or any other mechanisms in that space. He'd walked through it earlier on his way to his chair. "You never actually answered my question."

"What question?"

"How can we bring those people back?"

"Don't worry. Dad and I will deal with it."

"You can't expect me to sit around and do nothing," the detective objected.

Kaito only shook his head. "There's nothing you _can_ do. You humans are too fragile to deal with these things."

Shinichi frowned, feeling like he should be offended on behalf of the human race. "We are not fragile."

"Let me put it this way. If one of my people were to get smacked into a mountain by a golem, he'd probably walk away with some bruises and a headache. At worst, he might have cracked a rib. A human would just go splat."

"…" Shinichi had no idea if that was true or if Kaito was just exaggerating (or possibly making things up). On the other hand… "That doesn't matter. We're not talking about some kind of battle. We're talking about uncovering a crime. Unless you're telling me that kidnapping is legal where you're from."

"Well that's where it gets tricky. The Great Houses set and agreed upon most of the laws that govern the makai thousands of years ago. But technically speaking, it's all just a sort of web of promises. The areas belonging to each Great House follow only the rules set by that House. There is a general understanding that peace is preferable, and councils can be called to settle big disputes. But in the end, a Great House and its lands are like your countries. Other countries can't barge in and tell them to change their laws just because they don't like them. Really, it's quite messy. Or it would be if the members of the Great Houses couldn't flatten the whole of makai if they wanted to duke it out. That fact keeps everyone civil."

"You call that civil?"

"Well, yes. Clashing wits is always more civil than clashing fists, is it not?"

"I…guess you could put it that way."

A slightly awkward silence fell between them. Kaito's quill continued to skim across his floating paper. Shinichi watched the swift motions of the magician's hand. The quill didn't look like the kind made to hold ink cartridges, but Kaito hadn't conjured any ink either. Yet his quill wasn't running out of ink. Some corner of Shinichi's mind noted that the strokes of the quill suggested that the language Kaito was writing in was not Japanese. He couldn't see the words from his seat though, so he couldn't identify it.

Signing off on his letter with a dramatic and totally unnecessary flourish, Kaito tossed the quill aside. It vanished just as abruptly as it had appeared. Then he waved a hand over the letter. It folded in on itself. Between one breath and the next, it had been replaced by an unmarked envelope made from some odd, slightly silvery paper that didn't look like any paper Shinichi had ever seen before. Then the letter followed the quill's example and winked out of existence.

"There," Kaito said, looking satisfied. "So," he continued, turning his attention back to Shinichi. "Do you believe me?"

"I don't know," the detective said honestly. On a normal day, he would have been inclined to believe that the whole story was impossible. Today, however, had not been a normal day. He could still remember the sight of those men with their captives dwindling away to nothing. That luminous, blue green fog had also been strange, now that he thought about it. It wasn't just the odd color or the fact that it had glowed. There had been the way it had smelled and the way it tingled against his skin, not to mention the surreal, pastel flatness it had cast over the street and the way it had seemed to muffle the very world itself. If he didn't know better, Shinichi would have suspected that he'd been drugged and had a hallucination, but his mind felt perfectly clear. A drug also wouldn't explain how Kaito had seen the same things.

"Why don't you think it over while I get us dinner?" Not waiting for an answer, Kaito snapped his fingers and disappeared in a shower of blue and silver sparks.

Shinichi was rather surprised to see the night sky outside their window. He hadn't noticed the time at all. No wonder he'd been having a hard time seeing. Rising a little stiffly from his chair, he made his way across the room to turn on the light. When he turned back around, he was startled to find that Kaito was back. The smell of food filled the room.

A small, round dining table popped into being smack in the center of the room. It arrived complete with a white tablecloth, large, ornate plates, silverware, and a pair of antique chairs. The magician set a takeout bag on the table and began unpacking. The logo on the side of the bag was for an Italian restaurant located on the other side of the city. Even under the most ideal traffic conditions, there was no way Kaito could have gotten from the university dorms to that restaurant and back in under ten minutes. Yet there was the pasta, still piping hot as Kaito scooped it out onto the plates. That aroma belonged to the aforementioned restaurant's most popular dish.

"If I asked you how you got that so quickly, would you tell me?"

"If I told you, would you believe me?"

Shinichi sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. He was starting to develop a headache. "I think I'm going crazy."

"Oh?" Kaito quirked an eyebrow at him, amused. "And why's that?"

"Well, I…think I might actually believe that everything you said could be true."

Kaito laughed. "In that case, there's nothing to worry about. No one can call you crazy for believing in something that's true. Let's eat before this gets cold."

Shinichi hesitated only a fraction of a second before padding over and sinking gingerly onto one of the padded, antique-style chairs that Kaito had summoned from who knew where. "You said you were writing to your father?"

"Already wrote to him. He's always interested in affairs that concern the crossing of our worlds. He'll be able to figure out which House actually committed the kidnappings."

"I see." Falling silent, Shinichi poked at his pasta with his fork, pushing it this way and that until the swirls of noodle and sauce began to form quite an intricate pattern across the face of his plate.

"Don't fret," Kaito advised, spinning a large spool of pasta onto his fork and shipping the whole lot into his mouth. He chewed and swallowed before pointing his fork across the table at Shinichi. "When we know exactly what's happening, then there will be things that you can do. Until then, you'll have to wait. Patience is a virtue, you know. Just let us do our job. In the meantime, if you must feel busy, there's always schoolwork."

"You make everything that's happened sound like it's just normal."

"It is normal."

"We just saw five people disappear into thin air! If you're right, we'll have to find a way to rescue ten prisoners from magic-wielding demons in another world."

"And do our homework and go to classes and all that stuff too."

"Exactly! How is any of that normal?"

"Take a deep breath and let it out slowly. Think calm thoughts. You don't want to start hyperventilating."

"You're not taking this seriously, are you?"

"O contraire, my dear detective. I assure you, I am taking things very seriously. I simply choose not to pull my hair out over it. You should do the same."

"…"

"I'm sure you have lots of questions. How about I promise to do my best to try and answer some of them, and you promise to be patient and forget about the case until I hear back from my dad? It's a good deal on your end. Most humans never get to learn even half of what I've just told you."

Probably because most humans would have written anyone spouting such things off as a madman and steered clear. Shinichi himself still felt vaguely like he was losing his mind. He just couldn't dismiss everything he'd seen today as mere trickery. Half of him was inclined to believe that he was dreaming, but, either way, he had nothing to lose by asking questions. Realizing that his pasta was getting cold, he picked up a forkful and put it in his mouth. He wasn't very hungry, but it would be rude and wasteful not to eat it.

"You said you're from one of these Great Houses."

"Yep. The House of the Phantom Moon. Surname, Kuroba."

"So then…why are you here? If you really are from a—another world, why are you attending a university here? What's the point?"

"I'm here for the same reason you are, really. To get an education that will end with a degree."

"So do demons often come to our world for schooling?"

"It's very rare. Some will come for university, but mostly those demons come to study human culture. Not like me. I'm here to get an actual human world degree."

"But why?"

"It's more interesting. Although," he added as an afterthought, "it really started because I didn't have much choice. My last school expelled me for playing too many pranks. Then none of the other makai schools had the guts to face me. So Dad calls me into his office and tells me that I have the chance to get my degree from a human university as long as I keep up with my magical studies on my own."

Shinichi tried to imagine what kinds of pranks you had to pull to get kicked out of school in a world where it seemed as though magic was commonplace.

"It was more like a reward though, if you ask me. I'd been wanting to come back here for ages. And the chance to see all your technology up close was just too good to pass up."

"Again… So you've been here before."

"Once. It was a while ago. My appearance when I came that time was about eight years old for your people. So I attended an elementary school to get to know human society. It was fun. I made a lot of friends, and I met…" He trailed off, voice growing soft as he turned an intent, indigo stare on Shinichi: searching.

Azure eyes looked back, just as searching, just as anxious, just as hopeful and just as afraid.

"So it _was_ you. The magician's son who transferred into my class then left again two years later."

Kaito perked up. "You remember."

"I do…" Unbidden, his hand rose to touch the pendant hanging beneath his shirt.

"Why didn't you say anything?" the magician prodded, leaning forward as his eyes narrowed slightly.

"Why didn't you?" Shinichi countered. Kaito wasn't the only one who could answer questions with more questions.

Kaito blinked then laughed. "There didn't seem to be any point bringing it up if you didn't remember me."

"I wasn't sure if it was really you, or if you just reminded me of him. It seemed like too much of a coincidence."

The magician grinned. "In that case, just call it fate."

Shinichi snorted. "There's no such thing."

"Maybe, maybe not." Seeing that Shinichi had finally finished his pasta, Kaito banished both their plates and silverware with a wave. Then he gestured for Shinichi to rise and set about dismissing the extra furniture. It was basic magic, so he added some showers of sparks, billows of light, and dramatic hand waves for effect. He never could resist a chance to show off. So he finished his little show with a flourish before turning to see Shinichi's reaction.

To his disappointment, the detective wasn't paying him any attention. Instead, the detective was looking down at his own open palm. There was a tiny furrow between his eyebrows and his eyes were distant. He didn't move even when Kaito took a step closer.

"Shinichi?" the magician asked, wondering if he should be concerned.

Shinichi seemed to come back to himself from whatever far off lands his thoughts had wandered to. He looked up at Kaito then down at his hand then up again. He let his breath out in a soft puff before extending his hand.

"You've probably forgotten, but you left this with me. You said I could examine it and figure out how you made it appear and float," the detective muttered, not meeting Kaito's eyes. "I never got the chance to give it back to you."

Lying in his palm was a small, round ornament apparently made of glass. It twinkled up at Kaito as though in greeting.

"Keep it," he said gently, reaching over to close Shinichi's, fingers over the small, glass medallion. "I meant for you to keep it. I just wasn't sure you would."

Was it just his imagination, or did Shinichi's hesitant smile look relieved? The moonlight filtering in through their window traced soft highlights through black hair and pooled in the sapphire depths of his eyes. Eyes that were really seeing him, Kuroba Kaito, for the first time. There was no fear or mistrust. There was only a kind of wonder and understanding.

Without thinking, Kaito snuffed out the dorm's electric lights. In their place, silver and blue mage lights bloomed in the air around them, drifting around them like petals on a gentle wind as Kaito clasped his hands around Shinichi's, which were still wrapped around the glass medallion. Bringing their clasped hands up between them, he stepped forward so that he could smile directly into Shinichi's face.

"When we graduate, come back to my world with me."

Shinichi blinked. That was totally random. "What?"

Ah, what was the human term again? Oh, right. "Marry me."

"…"

"…"

Shinichi turned red. "… _What_?!"

* * *

 **TBC**


	8. A Letter from Home

Disclaimer: I don't own the DCMK characters.

* * *

 **Moon Over Eventide**

8: A Letter from Home

"He proposed to you?!" Heiji half shrieked half guffawed as he flopped over the study room table. What words he might have uttered next devolved rapidly into an uncontrollable bout of laughter.

"I can't believe it!" he hooted, wiping tears of mirth from his eyes. "I mean, sure, it was obvious he had a thing for ya, but I didn't think he'd actually propose!"

"What is going on here?" Hakuba demanded from where he was standing in the open study room door. He looked at the beet red Shinichi and the Heiji who looked an inch from sliding off the table to go rolling around on the floor. "What did I hear about a proposition?"

"To Shinichi." Heiji was all too eager to fill Hakuba in on this latest twist in their friend's bizarre relationship with a certain whacky magician. "Kuroba popped the question last night!"

His statement earned him an uncomprehending look from the blonde. "And what question would that be?"

Heiji looked incredulous. "Uh, hello. Ya know, the question that comes before ya tie the knot."

Shinichi could actually see the moment that it clicked in Hakuba's mind. The blonde's lips parted to form a silent 'o' as his eyebrows climbed towards his hairline. Then, like a man caught in a slow motion scene in a movie, he turned to meet Shinichi's eyes.

"Is that true?" he asked.

"It's not like that!" Shinichi hurried to explain, though, to be honest, he didn't know who he was explaining to. "I mean, he did ask, but I don't think he really meant it."

"So it was one of his pranks."

"Uh, well, I wouldn't say that…"

By now, Hakuba's eyebrows had ventured so far upward that they had completely disappeared from view. "Perhaps I am mistaken, but it seems to me that such a question must either be asked in jest or in earnest. There is no third option."

"I meant, I don't think he meant it—like that. He mentioned something about me visiting his homeland after we graduate."

Heiji waved a hand at him like he were waving away smoke. "Jeez Shinichi, no offense, but if you're sayin' that he asked ya to marry him as a way ta invite you to visit his home then, as yer friend, I gotta tell you that that's the lamest deduction you've ever made."

Shinichi shot the Osakan a glare which didn't phase the darker detective in the slightest. He'd told Heiji about it because he didn't know what to do and was hoping for some advice. Big mistake. He'd chosen Heiji because, out of all his friends, the Osakan detective was the most laid back as long as his temper wasn't getting in the way. Unfortunately, he was also the most inclined to tease. Now that Shinichi thought about it though, he realized that he really should have asked Ran or Kazuha instead.

Hakuba seemed to have reached the same conclusion because he laid a sympathetic hand on Shinichi's shoulder. "If you need advice, why don't you go talk to Ran?" he said. "She's reading in the café beside the main library. I saw her there just before I came here, so she should still be there if you go now. Hattori and I can deal with the cases the police gave us. They are mostly very straight forward. Hardly in need of all three of our attention."

Shinichi wondered how he could have never noticed before just how wonderfully placid Hakuba could be. He hadn't laughed once nor uttered a single teasing word. Sure, he didn't have any actual input on the problem, but he was giving solid advice! Albeit, advice Shinichi had already given himself. But still, it was the thought that counted. Swamped by a sudden surge of gratitude for the blonde's presence in his life, Shinichi smiled up at him before standing to make for the door. "I'll do that then. If you guys need any help though, call me, okay?"

"Of course."

"Yeah, yeah. Just run off and leave me with this stick in the mud."

The café that stood next to the university's main library was not a particularly large affair. But what it lacked in size it made up for with its outlandish décor. The tables crammed into its limited space were all different. Some resembled antiques while others weren't shaped like tables at all. People could sit at claw-footed desks to drink coffee or dine on the back of a giant turtle. Visually, the clashing styles and sizes of the furniture was kind of a mess, but it was the fun kind of mess that the eye could enjoy picking apart and organizing into something more coherent. But, though he could appreciate the place for its artistic efforts, Shinichi had only ever been to this café once. He'd discovered that very first visit on his first day of the semester that this café served only one blend of coffee. It was thick and black and sweet as molasses. It was so sweet that it didn't even taste like coffee anymore. The entire time he'd been drinking it, he'd been trying to decide if the person who'd made his drink had forgotten to put the coffee part in. He had not visited the place even once since then. Later, he'd heard through the grapevine that the place had become one of Ran's favorite haunts because their tea lattes were to die for.

He saw Ran the moment he stepped into the café. The odd way she styled her hair that made it look like it was coming to a point was easy to pick out. She was seated at a corner table that appeared to be a large drum. She had a teacup in one hand and a pair of drumsticks lying by her elbow. A book lay open across the stretched skin of the drum's face.

Shinichi called out to her as he ducked and wove his way through the crowded café towards the drum table. It wasn't until he reached it that he noticed that Ran hadn't been sitting alone. One Suzuki Sonoko was sitting with her. The petit girl was the youngest daughter of the wealthy Suzuki family and Ran's best friend. While she was technically one of Shinichi's friends too, she was also one of the biggest gossips Shinichi had ever met. It was, however, too late to turn back. They were both looking at him.

"Good morning, Shinichi," Ran said with a bright smile. "Have you been busy? I feel like we haven't seen you around much lately."

"There's been a lot happening," Shinichi replied. "I was hoping I could talk to you about something. When you have time," he added, trying to sound casual but probably failing miserably.

"We can talk now," the brunette replied, waving at one of the empty chairs beside the drum. It was then that Shinichi noticed the chairs at this 'table' were actually smaller drums.

"A—ah… Thank you." He snuck a look at Sonoko as he sat down. She was shifting forward in her seat, interest sparking in her eyes. His heart sank, but he rallied. Maybe he'd be lucky and discover that he was worrying about nothing. Now, where to begin? Both girls were watching him expectantly.

"Do you remember Kaito?" he asked finally. It seemed like the best place to start.

Ran and Sonoko traded surprised looks. "Your roommate, right?"

"Well, that too. But, um… I don't know if you recall, but back in elementary school, there was this boy who transferred into our class."

"Oh, right. That was Kaito-kun too," Ran agreed with a nod. "He only stayed for two years."

Shinichi stared. "You knew?"

Sonoko snorted. "Uh, duh, of course we knew. Didn't you? I mean, you two were practically joined at the hip for half that time."

"I remembered when he introduced himself at the welcome back dinner you guys held for me," Ran explained, shooting the smaller girl a pointed look. "He said his surname was Kuroba, and I remembered that there was a famous magician named Kuroba Toichi. Then I remembered that there was a boy with the same name who passed through our elementary school who liked to pull magic tricks. It seemed like it had to be the same person."

Shinichi frowned. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I thought you already knew," said Ran, sounding puzzled. "You two were so close back then. I just thought you would have figured it out between yourselves from the beginning."

"Don't tell me that that was what you wanted to ask Ran about," Sonoko scoffed. She folded her arms atop the drum table's canvas surface. "Seriously, boooooring."

The detective scowled. "I didn't come here to entertain you. It's not my fault if you're bored."

"Ch. And here I was going to give you some free advice too!" With a huff, Sonoko rose and picked up her empty cup. "But I've changed my mind. I'm going to get another tea. Ran, do you want anything?" she asked, pointedly ignoring Shinichi.

"No thank you."

Sonoko nodded and struck off across the café. When she had gone, Ran turned back to Shinichi. Her expression softened into something between anxious and encouraging.

"There's more, isn't there?"

Shinichi looked down at the tabletop. He could feel his face beginning to turn pink already. He struggled to suppress the color. "It's just… The other day, Kaito sort of… Well, we got to talking, and we realized that we both remembered that we'd met before. Only I guess we've both known for some time now, and…"

"Go on," Ran said gently.

"Um, the thing is, he sort of… He… Hesortofaskedmeout." he blurted out finally. His battle against the blush was an instant defeat. Even the tips of his ears must be turning red. He could feel it: like his whole face was on fire.

Ran didn't speak immediately. If Shinichi had been looking at her, he would have seen that her face had settled into a thoughtful sort of half-frown even as the corners of her lips twitched as though they wanted to smile but were making a valiant effort to resist. It had taken her a minute to decipher the jumbled blur of syllables that had just tumbled out of Shinichi's mouth. Once she understood them, however, she found that she was not at all surprised.

She remembered Kuroba Kaito quite well from their childhood years. The boy had blown into their elementary school like a rocket—or maybe a very, very large bundle of fireworks. He had brought color and chaos into their formerly peaceful lives. Though everyone in school had learned quickly that he was a born troublemaker, none had been able to resist his charisma. Well, no one, it seemed, except Shinichi, who'd always had his nose in a book. But even he had eventually fallen victim to the rambunctious magician's charms in the end. Ran recalled many an afternoon when she had seen them running around Beika Park. Kaito was always in the lead, usually with one hand raised and pointing to some new destination on the horizon while his other hand held tightly onto the hand of his smaller friend, pulling Shinichi along. The sight had been rather cute, she'd thought.

So much had happened in those two years. Ran couldn't claim to remember everything, but even what little she could recall were tumultuous enough to fill several journals. Even so, what she remembered best, was the few months after Kaito had left.

Ran remembered seeing Shinichi sitting alone in the corner of the school library where he had Kaito used to play board games during free period. Sometimes, he would set up a chess board and play against himself, all the while looking across the tops of the pieces at an opponent no one else could see. At other times, he would be reading or working on a puzzle. Even then, he would pause on occasion to stare out into space. It was the sadness she had seen reflected in his eyes at those moments that had first inspired her to approach him.

"Ran?"

Returning to the present from her stroll down memory lane, Ran tried to hide her distraction with a light cough. She took a long sip from her cooling tea and gathered her thoughts.

"Does it bother you?" she asked finally, carefully, because she could sense that Shinichi was a bundle of nerves right now.

Blue eyes blinked at her in honest bewilderment before they cleared and Shinichi shook his head. "No. I—no, it doesn't bother me…"

"Do you like him back then?"

The blush that had begun to recede during Ran's extended silence surged back with a vengeance. "I—I don't—" He cut himself off at the sight of Ran's patient face. He took a deep breath and started over. "I guess…I don't know. I don't really know him. And I haven't really thought about—about dating anyone." He had always been much more preoccupied with his dreams of being a detective. Then, once he'd started being recognized for his abilities as a detective, he'd found himself caught up in a stream of cases that never seemed to end. In that rush of activity, he simply hadn't had any time or energy to spare for such things as romance. And he'd never felt particularly bothered by the lack.

"You know, it's okay to be unsure."

Shinichi looked away. "But I don't know what I should do."

"You're the only one who can decide that. But," the brunette continued. "If it were me, and I thought I might be interested, I'd say yes and give it a try. I mean, it's not like he's a total stranger. Sure, he may have changed a lot since we were kids, but he's still the same person you were best friends with. That connection was real. You'll never know if it could become more if you don't try."

"Oh." Shinichi wondered if that was Ran's way of telling him to do it. He couldn't resist a certain morbid curiosity as to whether her advice would have been the same if he told her what Kaito had _really_ asked him. Did the magician even mean it the way it had sounded? After all, if he was really from another world, he might not understand the full meaning of his proposition. The thought filled Shinichi with a strange mixture of relief and distress.

"What's with the long faces?" Sonoko asked, dropping back onto her drum seat with a fresh cup in hand. She looked from Ran's sympathetic face to Shinichi's pensive one and back again. "What, did someone die?" The question was not entirely a joke. She couldn't count the number of times she had gone somewhere with her friends only to have whatever venture it was cut tragically short by the appearance of a dead body.

Shinichi rolled his eyes. "No one died." Not wanting to continue the conversation with Sonoko's long nose in attendance (he just knew she would make fun of him if she found out what they'd been discussing), he rose and bowed to Ran. "Thanks. I'll…think about it."

When he had gone, Sonoko turned to her best friend with a raised eyebrow. "What was that all about?"

"Apparently Kaito-kun asked him out."

"Really?" The heiress's inner gossip perked up its ears. "I'm surprised it took so long."

Ran looked at her oddly. "What do you mean?"

"Don't tell me you haven't noticed the way Kuroba looks at him. He's only been doing it since day one. It's always been like that with those two though, hasn't it?" she added, sounding exasperated. "It's like they've got their own little world and they're the only ones in it. I'm much more surprised that Kuroba-kun hasn't jumped our oblivious little detective geek yet, considering they live together."

"Sonoko!" Ran exclaimed, scandalized. "Kaito-kun wouldn't do that."

"Yet," Sonoko muttered under her breath too low for Ran to hear before raising it again. "I was just kidding. Don't go freaking out about it."

"That's not the kind of thing you should make jokes about."

"Sorry, sorry, I just couldn't resist. I mean, someone is actually interested in Shinichi like that? They must be real low on options where he's from."

"Sonoko, that's mean."

"Yes, well, if we don't get going now, the GSI running our discussion is going to be a whole lot meaner."

X

He knew it was from his father the moment his fingers touched the paper. It was smooth and silvery with pearl letters hidden amidst equally pearly swirls like ocean tides eddying across the envelope. There was no flap or pin. The thing was seamless all the way around, but he could tell that it was hollow. It was addressed to him, and the date woven into the magic was from that of five days past. That meant that this letter could not possibly be his father's reply to the letter Kaito had sent the previous night. It was mere coincidence that it had arrived at this time. So what might has father have wanted to send him five days ago?

A simple letter detailing the affairs of their lands and the latest convolutions in inter-clan relationships? Possibly a list of books he had to read for his magical studies and well wishes from his mother, Jii, and everyone else that he knew back home? It would be nice to hear from them all again.

He closed his eyes, picturing the lake that gleamed like silver at the feet of a tall, moon white castle. He remembered his mother's humming as she bustled about their expansive kitchens, whipping up new recipes and refining old ones as her apprentices hurried to document her every move. He remembered the musty smell of all the books in the castle library and the wind chimes that clinked softly beside one of the library's tall windows. A window with a deep, padded sill. Just the kind that Shinichi always used to like to curl up on to read.

Other memories flickered through his mind. There were glimpses of a girl with dark brown hair and a flaming mop screaming bloody murder as she charged straight towards him. There were memories of leaping from the castle's tallest turret to go soaring out across the lake on open wings. He thought of sitting in the observatory with his father, watching the stars spin in their endless dance across the heavens.

He wished he could be there now. To see it all and then some.

Was this what they called homesickness?

Shaking off the sudden wave of nostalgia, Kaito looked the letter over again. There was magic in it—many, many layers of magic at that. But since it was a letter, there had to be a way to open it. It could be a spell, a word, an action, a set of circumstances, or possibly even the right person. The possibilities were endless! He'd have to spend time analyzing the spell, finding all its little twists and turns before he could reverse engineer it so that he could see what was inside. What a bother. There had to be more to it than simple greetings from home. Then again, he wouldn't put it past his father to send mere greetings wrapped up in a hundred and one different spells as a joke.

At least that probably meant it wasn't urgent.

He set the letter down on his desk and was turning to the door when the door handle turned and Shinichi came in.

Kaito sensed the surge of power from his desk before he saw it. "Shinichi, run!"

But it was too late. The letter exploded. Long streamers of pearl and silver ribbon shot out and spiraled through the room like very flat, flying serpents. They wrapped themselves around Shinichi: one circled his head, another his waist, four twined up his arms and legs, and the last slithered its way around his torso and up around his neck. Shinichi cried out and tried to swat at the things. Then he tried to peel them off, but it felt like they'd been glued to him. There was a brilliant flash of white light and pure silence.

When it cleared, the ribbons and the letter were gone.

Kaito grunted. "Well, I guess—" He cut himself off as he saw Shinichi begin to fall forward. Leaping forth, he caught the detective before he could hit the ground. The boy's eyes were closed and his whole body limp as a rag doll.

"Shinichi!"

* * *

 **TBC**


	9. Stepping Stones

Disclaimer: I don't own the DCMK characters

* * *

 **Moon Over Eventide**

9: Stepping Stones

Shinichi blinked as the light cleared. He felt rather lightheaded. Something else felt strange too, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

"Shin-chan! Damnit, what was Dad thinking?!"

Startled, Shinichi glanced towards the voice—and got the shock of his life.

There, lying on the ground as Kaito examined him, was _himself_. Kudo Shinichi. Only the other Shinichi had his eyes closed and wasn't moving.

"K—Kaito?" Shinichi stammered, now thoroughly confused. His befuddlement only grew when Kaito neither answered nor looked his way. In fact, the magician didn't seem to have heard him at all.

"Kaito!" he called out again. Still, nothing. Stepping forward, Shinichi moved to tap the magician's shoulder—and stopped, staring at his own hand.

Or, rather, staring through his own hand.

He could see through his own hand?

Slowly, he looked from the translucent appendage to the…the other Shinichi lying on the floor then back again. Understanding was dawning, and it was looking overcast.

Over by the—his—body, Kaito muttered something in a language the detective didn't understand. Then he scooped the body up off the floor.

Seeing his own body being cradled in Kaito's arms was all kinds of creepy. Did this mean that he was dead? He didn't feel dead. Then again, he couldn't actually say that he knew what being dead should feel like. Maybe this was exactly how it felt.

But…how had this happened? He remembered walking into the dorm room and hearing Kaito tell him to run. Then there had been these strange, flying things like ropes or ribbons. They had caught him. One had gotten him around the throat, so he supposed it could have strangled him, but he didn't remember having difficulty breathing. In fact, all he remembered of what had happened after the flying things caught him was a flash of light.

There really was only one explanation, wasn't there?

If he'd had doubts about the existence of magic before, he didn't now. Too bad the knowledge wasn't going to be of any use now. He just hoped that Kaito kept his promise to help the kidnap victims.

The detective watched as Kaito carried his body across the room. The tender way the magician was holding him—er, it?—made Shinichi feel strange. He still acutely remembered how it felt when he'd been pressed between Kaito and the wall when the other had stopped him from going after those people—er, demons, he amended. The memory made him blush even as his stomach clenched at the realization that Kaito really did care about him.

Shinichi wished that he'd been able to give Kaito an answer. He wished he'd at least told Kaito how much the time they had spent together as children had meant to him. How much it had helped him. And he wished that he'd told Kaito that he was glad he'd had the chance to meet him again.

Now that he couldn't utter a word, he suddenly had a million and one things he wanted to say. Oh the irony…

Kaito carefully laid Shinichi down atop the covers of his bed. "There. Don't worry," he said, running a hand through Shinichi's soft, black hair and placing a chaste kiss on his cheek. "I'll fix this. This has got to be one of Dad's tests for me."

Shinichi blinked. Tests? And what was this about fixing? Was there magic that could raise the dead? Ick! No, he decided. If there was magic like that, it certainly wouldn't be part of some test. This had to mean that Kaito thought Shinichi was alive.

Come to think of it, he hadn't really checked for himself yet, had he? He'd simply assumed that since he—his soul? Consciousness?—was here and his body over there that he was, therefore, dead. But maybe souls could be jettisoned from their bodies while the bodies were still alive?

Walking over to his own bedside (and wasn't that just strange?), Shinichi leaned down to peer closely at his own face. He could hear the barely audible whisper of soft breathing. And there, if he looked closely, he could see that his own chest was rising and falling with each breath.

Relief rolled through him like the roar of thunder through a canyon. If he'd still had muscles, they would have gone weak with the sheer weight of that relief. Since he didn't, he just drifted sideways, limp and transparent but, apparently, not dead.

Kaito had stalked over to his bookshelf and was pulling three volumes off of it to set on his desk. They were all plain, unmarked volumes bound in black leather. They had no titles and no authors. What they did have were intricate designs pressed into their covers. Picking up the first one, Kaito flipped through it quickly before coming to a stop somewhere halfway through the pages.

"These ribbons look right," he muttered to himself, setting the book down with its pages splayed open on an illustration of twisting, twining ribbon snakes capturing a shadowy humanoid figure. "They call it the stepping stones of the soul. Hmmm… According to this, you're still here, aren't you, Shin-chan?"

"I am," Shinichi said halfheartedly. It wasn't like Kaito could hear him.

"I'll have to deal with that first. This won't be easy if I can't see or hear you."

Shinichi could second that. Did this mean that Kaito had a way to make it so that they could communicate? The magician was back at his bedside. He had conjured something that looked a bit like a paintbrush with a crystal handle.

"Um, why are you drawing on my face?" Shinichi asked.

Kaito traced a last symbol on Shinichi's forehead then straightened with a smugly satisfied grin on his face. "There. That should do it. Now I just have to do this." He lifted his left hand and drew the last symbol he'd drawn on Shinichi on the back of his own left hand. "There. Now, where are you?"

He turned around and met Shinichi's gaze. He grinned. Shinichi blinked.

"I see you~" the demon sang out. "So how're you feeling?"

"I'm not sure," Shinichi replied with a shrug. "I thought I was dead."

Kaito snorted. "Yes, well, Dad can throw some pretty crazy things together for testing, but even he wouldn't give me a test that could cost someone his life."

"So then can you explain to me why your father sent you a letter that seems to have thrown me out of my body? That is what happened, isn't it?"

"You're catching on quickly," Kaito agreed, beaming like a proud teacher. "This spell is referred to as the Stepping Stones. It is meant to help us understand the full and complex nature of a person's soul. I'm not sure how successful it is at that, there not being many field tests on the issue, but it has led to some interesting adventures."

"I'm not sure I like the sound of that. How exactly does it work?"

"Well, it divides the soul in question into several pieces—echoes, if you will, of those parts of you that came together to form the you that you are today."

"Was that supposed to make sense?"

"Now, now, there's no need for sarcasm. Think about it as a spell that uncovers the turning points in your life. Those moments that you hold dearest to your heart without which you wouldn't be the person that you are today. Pieces of your soul have been sent back to the places where those memories were made. All we have to do is go find them and bring them back."

"But I don't feel like I'm missing any pieces of myself." Although, he supposed, he didn't really know what that was supposed to feel like either. It just sounded like it should hurt.

"It's more metaphorical than that. The spell doesn't actually rip your soul apart. If it did, there'd be no recovering from it," Kaito explained patiently. "But if we don't bring all the echoes back, you won't be able to return to your body. You'd stay like this until your body expires. Then you'd really be dead."

Shinichi shivered.

"But don't worry," Kaito continued, giving Shinichi a reassuring smile. "I won't let that happen." What he didn't say was that this was quite delicate magic, and the longer they took, the harder it would become to return Shinichi's soul to his body. Since Shinichi was human, the time they had was probably quite short. No more than two days, maybe three. That meant that any fail-safes his father might have built into the spell wouldn't activate in time to be of any use. From what he'd seen, the spell had been targeted at people who were close to him who knew exactly who and what he was. His father had probably planned to send another demon along later to be the 'subject' of his test. It had never been meant to involve a human. So, should they fail to find all the echoes in time…

He was not going to fail.

It was Shinichi who broke the silence. "Um, so…where do we start?"

"That's rather up to you," the magician replied with a shrug. "Remember, this is about the places where you have important memories. So, anything come to mind? There were seven ribbons, so there should be seven pieces. One of them is the you that is here, so we only have to find six more."

"So I have to think of six places where I was happy?"

Kaito shook his head, expression turning serious. "Important memories. Not just good memories. We are shaped by both our joys and our sorrows after all."

"Oh." He supposed that should have been obvious. Shinichi shifted a little uncomfortably where he hovered. He'd never been particularly fond of talking about himself. And here Kaito was asking him to share what amounted to the most personal moments of his life. It wasn't that he had anything against sharing. It was just awkward to be asked to talk about such things. At the same time, he didn't want to stay a—a ghost or whatever he was right now. Still, how was he supposed to know exactly which six moments of his life the magic would deem the most important? Maybe the things he thought of wouldn't even be right. "I…"

Kaito waited for a moment, watching the play of emotions across Shinichi's transparent face. "It's okay," he said finally. "I should be able to divine where to go. This is my test after all. Though it will go faster if you help."

The detective looked down. "I don't know how."

Kaito laughed. "Don't worry about it. Here." He held out his left hand.

Shinichi looked at the hand uncomprehendingly for a moment before he realized what the magician wanted. Hesitantly, he reached out and placed his hand on Kaito's. He was expecting to pass right through the other, but, to his astonishment, he didn't. He could actually feel the other's hand.

Kaito smiled, grasping Shinichi's hand more firmly and turning towards the door. It was then that Shinichi saw that the symbol Kaito had drawn on his own left hand was now glowing faintly. "Let's go."

"What? But where—"

"Just leave that to me."

X

Takagi Wataru froze when he saw the letter on his desk. It hadn't been there ten minutes ago when he went to turn in his report on the armed robbery case he'd helped solve that morning. He'd just come back to pick up his things before he left for his break. But he knew he couldn't ignore the letter.

It had the Kuroba family crest on it.

He had almost forgotten his brief encounter with Kuroba Kaito. It had been several weeks ago, and he hadn't heard anything from the demon noble since then. The whole meeting had started to feel like just a bad dream. But there sat the letter, and it was no dream.

He glanced around to make sure that no one was nearby before gingerly plucking the letter from its place on his desk. He had to pause and think for a moment before he remembered the spell for unsealing this type of envelope. It took him even longer to work the spell. He'd never been very good at magic. It had always been a sore point with his family. It was also one of the many reasons he had run away from home.

Back home, he had felt as though everything he did was a disappointment to the people around him. He was a failure at magic, and his other combat skills weren't much better. He was not very outspoken nor particularly scholarly. The list went on.

But that was neither here nor there.

Unfolding the letter, he read over the contents. There wasn't much. It was just a short set of instructions. The police officer's brows knitted together in confusion.

"What's that?"

Takagi jumped. Whirling around, he stared wide-eyed at the dark-haired woman standing behind him. "S—Satou-san!"

"I'm heading out for my lunch break," the female officer said. "I came to see if you wanted to join me. So what is that?"

"O—oh. It…it's just a—a note I wrote for myself. Yeah." He laughed nervously as he stuffed the paper into a pocket.

Satou raised an eyebrow. "A note."

"For the case," he said quickly. "The—the one with the disappearances. I thought maybe we should see if any of the victims had, um, similar beliefs."

"Similar beliefs?" the woman repeated. "Like what?"

"Uh, well, like if they were superstitious…"

Now Satou looked interested. "Now that you mention it, I think one of them collected good luck charms and the like. Why? Did you have a lead?"

"Er, n—no, not… I mean, I just thought it might be the connection between them," he said, scratching at the back of his neck. He knew it sounded lame, but it was better than saying that someone had told him to look into it. And it was a whole lot better than telling her how humans with a greater sensitivity towards the supernatural often grew to be superstitious in the hopes of finding an explanation for the things they sensed. "D—didn't you say you wanted to get lunch?"

"Yeah." Satou gestured for him to follow her as she headed for the station doors. "You can tell me what you were thinking over lunch."

Drat.

* * *

 **TBC**

 **A.N** : I'm posting this early because I'm going on vacation. Hope everyone's summer is going well :) And a happy Independence Day to anyone in the US. Thanks for reading!


	10. Of Rain and Shine

Disclaimer: I don't own the DCMK characters.

* * *

 **Moon Over Eventide**

10: Of Rain and Shine

It was incredibly odd, walking through the streets when no one could see or hear you. It wasn't easy trying to dodge every passerby as he and Kaito wove their way through the crowded streets. Then a particularly large man with an armful of grocery bags had burst out of a convenience store and right through Shinichi, giving the detective the fright of his life. It was not at all pleasant having someone walk through you. For a moment, everything had gone dark, and he'd had a horrible moment when he wondered if he was actually looking at the man's guts. The experience had left Shinichi feeling sick to his stomach. On the bright side, he had learned that he really was insubstantial now. Kaito's left hand seemed to be the only thing that he didn't just pass through. He suspected it had something to do with whatever magic the magician had worked to allow them to communicate. The symbol on Kaito's hand was still glowing, though Shinichi was starting to think that he was the only one who could see it. None of the passersby were giving it a second look.

It didn't take long for Shinichi to realize that trying to dodge everyone who couldn't see him was a futile endeavor. Besides, he didn't actually seem to have to walk to move forward. So he decided to just close his eyes and let Kaito tow him along. The demon seemed to know exactly where he was going, though how he knew was beyond Shinichi.

He could feel the warmth of Kaito's hand holding his own. In the darkness behind his eyelids where nothing else was solid, the sensation was rather difficult to ignore. He wondered if disembodied souls could blush. Then he wondered why it was effecting him so much.

When Kaito's steps began to slow, Shinichi opened his eyes and looked up. His heart sank at the sight that lay before them.

Kaito too seemed to be wary. His brisk pace from before settled into a much more cautious gait.

They were in a cemetery.

Kaito's hand tightened around Shinichi's translucent one. He glanced sidelong at the detective's face, seeing that it had gone blank. Part of him wanted to ask, but he decided to keep silent. He would find his answer soon enough. No need to push.

As if summoned by his thoughts, a new figure appeared before them, seeming to fade into sight from the shadow of a tombstone. The figure sat with his back against the stone. His knees were pulled up to his chest and his arms were wrapped around them.

Shinichi gasped.

The person sitting before them was himself. Only this Shinichi looked a little younger. Shinichi recognized the uniform the other was wearing. It was the Teitan High School uniform.

The younger Shinichi looked up as they approached. Dull blue eyes looked Kaito over before dropping back to the ground he had been contemplating before.

"He can't see you," Kaito murmured to the Shinichi whose hand he was still holding. "Because he's from before your current time. Wait here."

Shinichi felt a flash of irrational fear when Kaito let go of his hand, but he kept quiet.

The magician approached the younger Shinichi, covering the distance between them with a mere three strides. Turning, he sat down beside the younger boy without a word. For several minutes, the two simply sat there side by side as the shadows lengthened across the cemetery grounds.

"He died because of me, you know," the ghostly detective said suddenly, breaking the silence.

"What do you mean?" Kaito asked, keeping his tone calm but encouraging with just a hint of curiosity. He could see his Shinichi drifting just out of earshot, looking rather forlorn.

"He was avenging his family's deaths," the detective murmured, looking away. The shadows in his eyes shifted, reflecting memories of another place. Another time. "It wasn't right, what he did. But he wasn't really a bad person. He saved me. He pushed me out the window. Then he went back into the fire and died."

"It wasn't your fault then. He made a choice."

"But I let it happen. I couldn't stop it. And that means I am responsible."

"You're being too hard on yourself, Shin-chan."

"You don't understand," the boy murmured into his knees, voice hoarse. "I was right there. It didn't have to end that way. It shouldn't have ended that way…"

"Things don't always go the way they should."

"I keep thinking, he could have done so much more with his life if he hadn't been so fixated on revenge. He was so caught up in the past that he couldn't move forward. It seems as though a lot of people are like that. It's all so… _pointless_."

"Perhaps," Kaito agreed amiably. "But there isn't any point to dwelling on it either."

"No. It won't change anything."

"Exactly. You can't change the past, but you can change the future. And hey, at least next time you find yourself facing a similar situation, you'll know how to fix it."

The high school detective let out a dry laugh but rose shakily to his feet. "I guess you could put it that way. I'd better get going. I can't help anyone by sitting here." As he walked away from them, he vanished like a shadow into the mist.

Kaito returned to where his Shinichi was still hovering, looking grim and sad and not at all the way Kaito liked him to look.

"Did that work?" the detective asked when he saw Kaito.

The magician nodded and held out his hand. On his palm sat a single tiny, translucent lily. "A gift from you to yourself," he said with a grin. Reaching over, he placed his free hand over Shinichi's right wrist. When he drew back, there was a thin loop of light around the detective's wrist like a luminous bracelet. Then the demon snapped his fingers. The ghostly lily rose and flew to the loop, attaching itself in the form of a miniature charm. "There. A keepsake that we can take this part of you home with us in."

Shinichi looked skeptical. "So now you're saying that part of me is inside that flower."

"Yep. Now, off to our second stop!"

X

It was a small and somewhat overgrown soccer field not too far from Beika Park. It was a little weedy, and some of the grass had been replaced by bald swaths of dry earth. There were goal posts on one end of the field, but other than that, the place was pretty much bare. It did have a nice screen of trees all around it though.

Standing in the middle of the yellowing and balding lawn was another Kudo Shinichi. This Shinichi, however, was even younger—but, according to his uniform, still in high school. The boy was bouncing a soccer ball on his knee. Every now and then he would punt it up and bounce it on his head then let it roll down an arm to be kicked up by a heel or redirected back to a knee.

"Did you win an important game here then?" Kaito asked teasingly.

Shinichi wondered again if souls could blush and shook his head. "I never joined the team in high school."

"So then what happened here?"

"Well… I guess it was the party for my seventeenth birthday…"

Kaito looked outraged. "But when I said I wanted to throw you a party when you turned eight, you said no!"

Shinichi blinked, taken aback by the magician's indignant outburst. "I did?"

"Yes, you did. You even said you'd stop speaking to me if I tried."

"O—oh, um…sorry…? It's just I don't really like parties, and…uh…"

"Well apparently you liked this one."

Yes, Shinichi concluded. Souls could blush. He could feel it.

"It wasn't like that…" Why did he feel like he had to explain himself anyway?

It really _hadn't_ been the party that made this place important though. This place was important because it had been while he was standing here, watching Heiji and Saguru trying (and failing) to copy the way he juggle soccer balls that he had realized just how lucky he was. He'd made friends he could really trust—friends who cared for him just the way he was. He'd realized that he was happy. It was probably a strange thing for someone to take so long to discover about himself, but the fact was that he'd never stopped to think about it before then.

"I guess I can overlook it this once. But you owe me one." Declaration made, Kaito strode off towards the echo.

Shinichi watched him go, feeling utterly bewildered. How had he gone from not wanting a birthday party to owing the magician anything? It made no sense.

He was still puzzling over it when Kaito returned with the ghostly soccer ball in hand.

"I had no idea juggling these with your feet could be so difficult," he said. He shrank the soccer ball then sent it floating over to become the second charm on Shinichi's makeshift bracelet. Then he took Shinichi's hand again and resumed walking. "The next one's close."

X

They were making good time, Kaito thought approvingly as he jogged in the direction his divining spell was telling him to go. He'd only had to use a little magic to shorten their travel time. They had met a an adorable, seven-year-old Shinichi in the heart of Beika Park. The way the little boy's face had lit up at the sight of Kaito made the magician feel rather accomplished. Kaito himself had many fond memories of being with his Shin-chan in that park. It was gratifying to know that that time had been important to Shinichi too. And the way his detective had practically been glowing pink the whole time they were there had been cute. After that, they'd found a five-year-old Shinichi reading in the Kudo Manor's library. The somewhat grumpy child had refused to even look at Kaito until he'd finished the book he was reading (the book in question turned out to be a somewhat simplified version of some of the Sherlock Holmes short stories). Now a daisy and a book dangled alongside of the lily and the soccer ball on Shinichi's phantom bracelet.

Kaito laughed when he saw the building the spell had directed them to. It was the Teitan Elementary School library.

"Figures it's be another library."

"So what if it is?" Shinichi huffed. He glanced at the dark black windows and the gray evening sky. "They're closed. We'll have to come back tomorrow."

Kaito's steps didn't even falter. "You're kidding, right? A few little locks couldn't possibly stop me."

Shinichi opened his mouth to say that that was not the point. But it was already too late. Kaito was already opening the library door. Shinichi had little choice but to trail after him, glad for the first time that day that he was invisible to most of the world.

The elementary school library was just how Kaito remembered. Though not exceptionally large, it had been carefully sectioned off by artfully arranged shelves to form cozy little reading areas and somewhat labyrinthine aisles. It had been years since he had last walked amongst these shelves, but his feet still knew the way. Without conscious thought, he made his way to a corner of the library where the blue evening light spilled through a window upon a set of child-sized tables and chairs. Seated at the table closest to the window was Shinichi number five (or should that be six?). There was a ghostly chess set sitting on the table before him, the pieces already lined up and ready to go. But the boy himself didn't seem at all interested in the board. Instead, he was looking out the window, face solemn.

Kaito observed the echo for a few moments before turning to the Shinichi beside him. "Any idea what's going on here?"

Shinichi looked away. He knew perfectly well why his younger self was there.

He was waiting. Waiting for someone he knew would never come.

He remembered those long hours sitting alone and mulling over his own thoughts, unable to bring himself to leave. It had been a time of discovery, but the road to enlightenment had been a slow and painful one. That was the thing about truth—especially truths about yourself. Truth was not gentle or kind, but it wasn't cruel either. It was just what it was: irrefutable and unyielding but reliable.

"Shin-chan, help me with this won't you?"

Coming back to the present, Shinichi found that Kaito had returned empty-handed. "Huh?"

"You won't talk or move or anything."

"…What? What are you talking about?"

Kaito jerked a thumb at the much younger Shinichi by the window. "Do you have any idea what you're waiting for over there?"

"N—no one," Shinichi said, not meeting Kaito's eyes. "Did you try playing the game?"

The magician arched an eyebrow. No one, huh? Shinichi really wasn't built for lying. You didn't have to be waiting for a person after all. If Kaito had to guess, he'd say that that Shinichi by the window was indeed waiting for someone. Waiting for someone to play chess with…?

"I'll try that," Kaito murmured, heading back across the little reading area. Pulling out the chair across from the younger Shinichi, he sat down. The chair was far too small for him. It creaked alarmingly under his weight. Rising again, he pushed the chair back and sat down on the floor.

"Hey, would you like to play a game?" he asked.

Little Shinichi didn't even look his way.

Okay. This called for a more direct approach. Kaito looked down at the board before him. The white pieces were set up on his side of the board. Perfect. White always moved first in chess. He picked up a piece.

Now, finally, he got a reaction. Little Shinichi's head whipped around, and two bright blue eyes glared at him. He smiled blandly back and set the piece down in a new position.

The game had begun.

Little Shinichi only continued to glare.

"Well?" Kaito prompted. "Are you going to play? Or are you going to forfeit?"

The boy turned away. For a moment, Kaito thought the little Shinichi was going to tell him to leave, but then the boy heaved a silent sigh and moved a game piece of his own.

It was a very silent game, and Kaito could tell that Shinichi's mind was elsewhere. That, combined with the fact that this Shinichi was still a fairly inexperienced chess player, meant that Kaito's thoughts had time to wander as well. This entire situation felt off to him. He'd played chess with Shinichi many a time when they were younger, and the boy had never been this listless during a game. He'd always been very focused. But now he seemed distant.

There was a sadness in those eyes. It was different from the deep-seated regret and grief that he had seen in the Shinichi at the cemetery. It was more resigned: softer but just as deep.

And this Shinichi didn't recognize him even though the boy couldn't have been much older than the echo in the park had been. Shinichi couldn't have forgotten him _that_ fast.

When the game ended, the little Shinichi packed up the game board and pieces, nodded to Kaito, then left—all without a word. A single pawn lay forgotten on the table as he left. Kaito summoned it to his hand with a crook of a finger and walked back to where his Shinichi was pretending to peruse the shelves. As he drew closer, he saw Shinichi's right hand go up to his neck then drop again. It seemed to be an unconscious habit that the detective had picked up. The little Shinichi had done it a few times during their game as well.

Kaito paused, mouth about to open and call out. His eye had caught the glimmer of a thin, silver chain around Shinichi's neck. And suddenly he remembered that that was where Shinichi had kept the glass pendant Kaito had given to him.

"Hey Shinichi," he said softly. The detective jumped and whirled around. He drifted back a little at the serious expression the magician was aiming his way and almost disappeared into the shelf behind him. "Were you waiting for me?"

Shinichi swallowed, glancing across at the empty table by the window before meeting Kaito's gaze. There was defiance in those blue eyes. "Yes."

"But you—the little one back there—you didn't recognize me."

Shinichi shrugged, turning back to face the shelves. "Seems logical to me. We all knew you'd moved. It wasn't like you were going to just come popping back out of nowhere."

"I see." Kaito looked down at the pawn sitting alone and sad on the palm of his hand. "I… Were you mad? At me, I mean, for leaving?"

Shinichi let out a snort of laughter. 'Of course not. That would have been stupid. But… I might have…been a little mad at myself, I guess."

"At yourself?" Kaito had to admit that he was now very confused. That was the last thing he'd expected to hear. "Why would you have been mad at yourself?"

"It's complicated…" Shinichi traced a finger over the books in their orderly line, pretending to read their titles. "You…taught me a lot of things, and I thank you for that. You showed me that I could…make more of myself, I guess. That I didn't have to just be what everyone expected me to be: the brat kid with famous parents or whatever it was they used to say when they thought I couldn't hear them. And I realized that, things like that, they work both ways, don't they? I never expected very much from them, and I guess they could sense that too, whether they realized it or not. You have to believe in people if you want them to believe in you."

Kaito placed his left hand on Shinichi's transparent shoulder, indigo eyes softening. Part of him wanted to say something—to offer words of comfort or encouragement. But he didn't. For the first time since this little trip had begun, he felt like an intruder. Here he was, barging into Shinichi's past without an invitation. Sure, it was necessary, and at the beginning he had seen this operation as a golden opportunity to learn more about the things that had happened to Shinichi in the years since they'd last parted. But though he couldn't regret having glimpsed into Shinichi's thoughts, he found himself thinking that he would have preferred it if Shinichi had shared them with him voluntarily instead of being forced to by some spell.

"Why don't we move on?" he suggested when Shinichi showed no signs of detaching himself from the bookshelves. "We've only got one left. My divining spell says it's outside the city. I can teleport us to it if you're ready."

Shinichi took a deep breath. "All right. I'm ready."

Kaito's grip on his shoulder tightened.

Light surged, and the air crackle with energy. Then suddenly they were standing on a rocky outcropping high up on a mountainside. An icy wind cut straight through their city clothes like knives of ice trying to cut away all the warmth in their bodies. The trees here were almost all bent sideways by the wind. The cold and the wind and the rough, unwelcoming ridges of rock were all worth it though for the view.

The sky was a vast stretch of creamy purple and blue with soft, peach trimming. Beneath it, the mountains fell away in frozen waves of green, gray, and brown accented by threads of silver flecked with gold from the dying sun.

"I know this place," Kaito said in mild surprise.

"You should, seeing as you brought us here." Picking his way across the rocks, Shinichi spotted what he was looking for almost immediately. There, perched on a wide, flat rock, was a small, transparent figure. The little boy sat with his arms around his knees, serene gaze fixed on the skyline. Shinichi sat down on the far end of the same rock. He had the feeling that they were going to be here a while.

Kaito came up behind him. The magician glanced from one Shinichi to the other before taking a seat between them. The younger of the two ghostly figures looked over at him, but he didn't appear to be surprised. The child only smiled and turned back to the horizon.

For a long time, they sat in companionable silence. The peach hue clinging to the edges of the world drained away. A sleepy, blue-gray haze settled in its wake. Then, gradually, night fanned out across the sky like a black velvet banner sewn with all the pearls from the depths of the sea.

"Kaito?"

The word had been uttered so tentatively that it was almost instantly swallowed whole by the mountain wind. But demons had good hearing, and Kaito had been waiting for someone to say something. He'd thought it would be the echo, but instead it was his Shinichi who had called to him.

"Yeah?" he said so Shinichi would know he was listening.

There was a breath of silence before Shinichi spoke again, words a little clearer this time. "Did you…mean what you said? When you…when you asked me to go out with you?"

Kaito considered the question for a moment, weighing his options. He was pretty sure that what he'd actually asked Shinichi was not quite the same thing that Shinichi was saying he had asked. On the other hand, according to his readings, the two were not unrelated. So he nodded.

"I did. I wouldn't have asked if I didn't."

"But…why?"

"Why?" Kaito repeated the question as though it were a word in a foreign tongue. "I don't understand. Is that not what you're supposed to do when you like someone?"

"I guess so, but, well, only in certain kinds of circumstances," Shinichi tried to explain. He was no expert on relationships, and Sonoko would laugh him out of the building if she ever heard him trying to explain the mechanics of romance to anyone else, but he needed to clear things up. For the both of them.

A warm, calloused hand shifted, laying itself over Shinichi's where it was resting on the rock. Suddenly the wind didn't feel so cold. Was it magic? Shinichi wondered.

"You see, there are different kinds of…" he started then stopped. "What I mean is—"

"Shin-chan."

Shinichi inhaled deeply before turning to look up into Kaito's face. His breath hitched in his throat, and he almost pulled away except that he couldn't pull away. His body had decided to freeze on him. Kaito was so close. His indigo eyes were dark and full of something that Shinichi didn't understand but which sent shudders up his spine.

"I knew what I was talking about, Shin-chan. My world isn't _that_ different. And I meant every word."

Shinichi bit his lip, looking away. "But aren't you from some kind of noble family?"

Kaito paused then shrugged. "I guess so. The Great Houses do get referred to as nobility on occasion."

"So…shouldn't you be trying to find someone from one of the other Great Houses?"

Kaito wrinkled his nose. "Heavens no! How would we keep the Great Houses separate if we started intermingling with each other? It'd make no sense."

Shinichi blinked. "I guess that makes sense. I hadn't thought of that."

"It's customary to choose mates from a different tier of power than your own. Though I do seem to recall that you humans tended to the opposite."

"But like you just said, I'm human. Won't that be a problem for you?"

"Well, I admit it isn't usual, but I'm sure we can work out the details." Turning, he clasped both of Shinichi's hands in both of his own, though he had to be careful because his right hand passed right through Shinichi's body. "I love you, Shin-chan. I was being serious. I want you to come back to my world with me. It'll be amazing! I promise."

"Kaito…"

Kaito paused in his tirade about all the places he wanted Shinichi to see and all the things they simply had to do together someday. "Yes?"

"I'm flattered, I really am, but… Going to another world? I don't know if I can do that… I can't just agree or disagree on something so—so _drastic_ just like that. It's not just about how we feel…"

Kaito grinned. "So you do feel something for me then."

Shinichi blushed. "What? I—I didn't… I mean, I guess, maybe… I'm not really sure." His words ended in a mumble.

The magician chuckled and ruffled Shinichi's hair. "It's okay. We've still got university to finish. That means you have a few years to think about it. And remember, it's not like you'd never be able to come back. I'm good at translocation magic. We could come back here for a visit anytime you want. In the meantime, I would be honored if you would go out with me."

It would not have been possible for Shinichi to turn any redder if he'd tried, but he nodded. Maybe it was the decrease in oxygen at this altitude, but he was feeling a little giddy and lightheaded. Never mind that he didn't currently have real lungs.

If Shinichi had been solid at that moment, Kaito would have kissed him. Instead, Kaito settled for intertwining their fingers. Sensing movement on his other side, the magician glanced over to see that the child Shinichi had stood up. The boy stretched a hand out towards the sky as though he were trying to touch the stars. Then he turned to Kaito and smiled. As he did so, he faded away, leaving behind a single white feather.

Kaito scooped the feather up with care and turned to offer it to Shinichi. "Looks like it's time to go."

"I assume you can transport us back?"

"I have a better idea." Kaito got to his feet and offered Shinichi a hand. "Here."

Shinichi let the magician pull him to his feet. Without letting go, Kaito turned back to face the cliff's edge and raised his free hand. Shinichi felt a sudden rush of warmth flood through him along with a sense of weightlessness. Disoriented, it was a moment before he realized that Kaito had changed.

The magician seemed a little taller. Or was it just Shinichi's imagination? The darkness seemed to shift around them. Shinichi gasped, blue eyes going wide. They were hard to make out in this land of sylvan shadows, but he would swear that Kaito now had wings. Large black ones. The moonlight glanced off of night black feathers.

"You have wings," he gasped. He immediately wanted to smack himself for pointing out the obvious.

"Well yeah. Dad didn't choose the kanji for our family name just because the sounds were right. It was more poetic than that."

"O—oh…" Shinichi blinked.

"Now let's get you home."

Shinichi had the sudden feeling that he knew what was about to happen. But it was too late. The night wind whistled in his ears as Kaito took a running leap off the cliff, dragging Shinichi with him.

Shinichi might have screamed. He wasn't sure. If he had, he would have been justified. It didn't matter that he was only a spirit right now and probably couldn't crash to his death. He still felt very much alive, and he fully expected to go plummeting to the rocks below—or, at best, end up dangling by one hand. Not the best mode of travel under any circumstances.

Instead, he found himself floating beside Kaito (like a very light piece of cloth floating on the wind, he thought). Together, they swept down towards the foothills. Shinichi's breath caught in his throat, and he stared wide-eyed as the earth rushed up to meet them. But then they had leveled out, and Shinichi's breath caught for an entirely different reason. The landscape was an indistinct sea of darkness dotted with a myriad of tiny lights that flowed by beneath them like a stream of shooting stars. It was as though they were flying over a second night sky.

It was breathtaking, like something out of a dream. And maybe he really was dreaming. It certainly felt like he was.

If this was a dream though, he didn't want to wake up. Not yet.

 _Let this moment last forever._

It was the one thought that had whispered in his mind that night oh so many years ago when he had found himself sitting on a cliff in the middle of nowhere with only a certain magician for company. He'd had no idea where they were or how they were going to get home, and he should have been afraid. Terrified even. But he hadn't been because he'd known that Kaito would never let him get hurt. He had never felt so content or secure again as he had back then.

But now, here in this impossible moment, he remembered exactly how it had felt. And he heard that little whisper again: wistful and bittersweet.

 _Please, let this moment last forever._

* * *

 **TBC**


	11. Visitor from a Foreign Land

Disclaimer: I don't own the DCMK characters.

* * *

 **Moon Over Eventide**

11: Visitor from a Foreign Land

"Man, I swear this place is starting to turn into a ghost town."

Toyama Kazuha sighed, nibbling on her roast turkey sandwich. "You're exaggerating." Although, she added to herself, it would have been perfectly understandable if the shopping center had been deserted. There had been another disappearance in the area. And, indeed, the crowds were thinning. Mostly, however, people were just starting to travel in packs and keep to the more populated portions of the complex. There had also been a marked increase in police officers around, though most of them were doing their best to blend in. It was just that, being close friends with several detectives, Kazuha recognized many of the officers even without their uniforms.

It was all rather depressing. Every time she saw the suitcase still waiting to be unpacked on her roommate's side of the room, she would feel sick to her stomach. She was a policeman's daughter. She knew that the odds of a kidnap victim showing up again unharmed after so much time was slim to none. And she hated how she found herself thinking that the best they could hope for now was that the culprit be caught and punished.

It was just so— _wrong_.

On the other side of the sandwich shop table, Heiji grimaced. He'd invited Kazuha to lunch in the hopes of cheering her up. She'd been rather down lately. It was only to be expected though. Every time she went back to her dorm, she would inevitably be reminded of her missing roommate. Heiji could understand her distress. He wasn't happy about it either. However, he knew that all they could do was keep searching. In retrospect, perhaps it would have been smarter to choose a different area to have lunch in, but it was too late now. Casting about for a distraction, he spotted a familiar cowlick through the window of the restaurant across the street.

"Hey, isn't that Shinichi?"

Kazuha followed the line of his gaze. She blinked in surprise. "It…looks like him." But there was definitely something different about Shinichi today, she mused. He looked…happy. It wasn't that he usually looked upset or anything, she amended quickly. If she had to describe his usual expression, however, she would have to call it thoughtful—intent, analytical, detached, serious, exasperated, or, on occasion, just plain flat or sardonic. None of those things were what Kazuha would call happy expressions even if they weren't _un_ happy either.

The Shinichi sitting over there now though looked entirely different. For one, he was smiling. It was a soft and rather shy smile that she had never seen on his face before. There was a new sparkle to his eyes too.

"He seem kinda weird to you too?" Heiji asked. His eyebrows rose when Kazuha suddenly started laughing. "What's up with you?"

"It—it's nothing!" Kazuha gasped as she fought to stifle her laughter. She'd just remembered where she'd seen an expression like that before. Her best friend in middle school had looked like that when her crush had asked her out. She craned her neck, but from where she was sitting, she couldn't see Shinichi's tablemate. There was a very large, potted plant in the way. "Hey, who's he eating with? Is it Kuroba-kun?"

"Eh? Why do you— _oh_." Understanding dawned, and Heiji smirked. "It's gotta be a date."

"So? Can you see who it is?"

"I don't have x-ray vision, Kazuha. I can't see through giant clay pots." Heiji glanced across the street again then turned back to Kazuha with a wicked gleam in his eyes. "Wanna go see?"

The two Osakan students shared a meaningful look. Then Kazuha stuffed the last bite of her sandwich into her mouth, and the two of them hurried to dispose of their plates and napkins. That done, they made their way out of the sandwich shop and, using the other shoppers for cover, circled around to the party store next to the restaurant where their targets were having lunch. There was a large display in front of the party store showing off bags upon bags of assorted balloons, handheld pumps, and a couple dozen different books about the art of making balloon animals. Kazuha picked up one of the crafting books and pretended to read the back cover while Heiji poked at a bag of balloons sporting metallic colors. From their new vantage point, they could see behind the enormous potted plant that had so diligently blocked their way before.

They could only see the back of Shinichi's tablemate's head, but that was all they needed to see. They both recognized that wild, bird's nest of dark brown hair.

"I knew it!" Kazuha whisper-shrieked.

Heiji whistled under his breath. "And here I thought it'd take 'em a lot longer ta actually get around ta dating. Or do you think they're just havin' lunch?"

"No, it's definitely a date," Kazuha decided. "Just look at them. "

"I guess… Still didn't expect it ta happen so fast."

"Well, Kuroba-kun is persistent."

"I'll say," her friend agreed.

In the restaurant, it seemed that Kaito and Shinichi had come to the end of their meal. They rose from their table. Kaito was gesticulating wildly, probably illustrating some story or other. Naturally, they couldn't hear him. But they did have a wonderful view as the magician produced a red rose with a flourish and presented it to his blue-eyed companion. Even from where they were hiding, they could see Shinichi blush.

Kazuha giggled. Sometimes she wished that someone would give her roses. But… Her gaze shifted to Heiji. Yeah…not happening.

The Osakan detective wrinkled his brows. "What're ya looking at me like that for?"

"Oh nothing," Kazuha said airily. "Just thinking that Shinichi-kun is rather lucky."

"…Huh? Don't tell me you had a thing for Kuroba—!"

"What?" It was Kazuha's turn to frown. "No, that's not what I meant, Stupid. I—"

"Excuse me."

The bickering pair turned in unison at the unfamiliar voice to find a young woman watching them intently.

"Ran?" Kazuha exclaimed in surprise before her eyebrows drew together. No, that voice wasn't Ran's. And, now that she was really looking, she could see that this girl wasn't Ran at all. Still, there was a definite resemblance.

"Ran?" the stranger repeated, looking confused. "I'm sorry, but I don't know anyone by that name."

"Guess you're not a relative either then," Heiji remarked. "But wow, really, if you hadn't just said that, I'd have thought you were Ran's long lost sister or something. So how can we help you?"

"My name is Nakamori Aoko, and I'm looking for someone," the girl explained. "I thought I heard you two mention a Kuroba. Would you, by any chance, have been talking about Kuroba Kaito?"

"Oh, you're looking for Kuroba-kun?" Kazuha glanced back towards the restaurant, but the table where Kaito and Shinichi had been sitting was now empty. "You just missed him."

The girl, Aoko, nodded, undaunted. "In that case, could you tell me where I might find him?"

X

Pausing at the bottom of the steps leading up to the building she had been directed to, Nakamori Aoko took in the sight with interest. It was not what she would call a very beautiful building. It was, like most of the buildings she'd seen so far, basically rectangular with rows of windows set in its face. There was no real elegance to the architecture, and the colors were mostly drab where they weren't horribly garish. The liberal use of glass helped, but only slightly. The one thing that was impressive about the architecture around here was just how many buildings there were. Everywhere you turned in this city, there were towering buildings lined up one after the next in a seemingly endless mass.

For years, she had listened to Kaito go on and on and on about the human world. He was fascinated by the great diversity of cultures, inventions, foods and entertainment that it offered. He'd told her about their roaring, metal carriages (" _Some of them can even fly!_ ") and the little magic boxes that let humans speak to other humans on the other side of the world. He'd talked of other magic boxes that housed entire libraries of information and painted in loving detail the chaos of the metropolitan shopping districts. Kaito had spoken so much of the human world that Aoko had found herself wishing that she could see it for herself one day.

And so, when Kuroba Toichi had asked for a volunteer, she had stepped forward. Now here she was.

The place was…different. But she didn't think it was quite as spectacular as Kaito had made it out to be. Sure, humans had created a whole host of rather bizarre and inexplicable things, but those things were all aimed at helping them complete tasks that you could do so much more easily and efficiently with magic.

Speaking of Kaito, she could sense that he was here. Aoko made her way up the steps and to the main dormitory doors. A resident was just on his way out, so she thanked him for holding the door for her and walked in like she knew exactly where she was going. He never questioned her right to be there.

Following her senses, she navigated her way through the brightly lit halls until she reached the fourth floor. There, she found the name she was looking for scrawled on a paper nameplate.

She projected her aura as she knocked so that Kaito would know who was at his door.

There was a moment of silence before the door opened. There, standing in the doorway with that same roguish grin and mischievous indigo eyes that she remembered oh so well, was Kaito.

The already broad grin on his face grew even broader at the sight of her, and she could feel her own lips turning up at the corners in response.

"Aoko! You should have sent word ahead. I'd have come pick you up from your portal point," he said, stepping back and waving her in. "Just give me ten minutes to put the finishing touches on this report. Then we can talk."

"That's unusually responsible of you," Aoko said with a laugh.

Kaito drew himself up with a mock offended look. "Whatever do you mean? I'll have you know, I take all my responsibilities very seriously!"

"Yeah, right. That's why you transported all your teachers to a villa in the Valley of Elz the week before final exams were to start."

"Hey, they were the ones talking about how nice it would be to have a vacation. I was doing them a favor."

"Sure. And I'm sure it had nothing at all to do with the fact that you didn't feel like studying."

"Perish the thought. It was simply an act of charity."

The room wasn't quite what Aoko had expected either. Kaito was, after all, the heir to a Great House. Back home, he could have any luxury he wanted. All he'd have had to do was say so, and it would have been done. Sure, Kaito wasn't one for excessive extravagance, but he'd always had an eye for quality. Yet here he was, living in a rather small and unremarkable room. The furniture couldn't be any plainer if it tried, and it took up more than its fair share of space. Though the carpet was clean, it was clearly low quality. And where was the bathroom? She'd passed a few communal bathrooms on the way up. Was that all there were?

It was all so…unworthy of a demon of Kaito's stature. If he'd been back in the makai, he could at least have used his magic to make the place more comfortable, but this school was in the human world. That meant no magic unless absolutely necessary (although Aoko had her doubts about how strictly Kaito would adhere to the rules). On the other hand, Kaito seemed to be having fun.

"What is that?" she couldn't resist asking as she stared at the flat, silvery thing Kaito was jabbing away at. It had a glowing screen and a long tail.

"It's a computer. I told you about them, remember?"

She peered over his shoulder at the screen, curious despite herself. Then she eyed the smirk playing about Kaito's lips as he worked. Yep, he was definitely having fun. Really, taking a step back to look at the whole picture, she should have realized that Kaito would be having the time of his life. He'd essentially been handed an entire world full of new toys to play with.

Smiling to herself, she moved to sit on the edge of Kaito's bed. She was glad to see that he was doing well. At the same time, she found herself feeling sad too. Did he miss home at all? Did he ever think of her or the other people he had left behind to come to this world? She would like to think so, but…

"And done!" Shutting all the windows on his laptop, Kaito turned his seat around so that he was facing Aoko. "So, how've you been?"

"Good," she replied. "Everyone at the academy's still talking about what you did to the headmaster. He's been campaigning to have the lake filled in, but I think he should be calming down soon."

Kaito laughed. "You mean it's taken him this long to get over it? Man can he ever hold a grudge!"

"You wouldn't be happy either if you were stuck in a hunk of ice for three days," she retorted.

"I would have been able to get myself out within the first ten minutes," Kaito bragged. "Besides, I helped excavate him. I even helped thaw him out. He should thank me."

Aoko sniffed. "That might have been a more convincing argument if you hadn't waited three whole days to help. By that point, it's just gloating."

"Ch. No one appreciates a true genius."

Aoko snorted then laughed. She really had missed him. "By the way, your father said that there would be a letter spell that you should have received a few days ago. It's a test of some kind for you. He asked me to help you with it."

"Er, yeah, about that." Kaito leaned back against his desk, plucking a sheaf of slightly charred paper from the top of a thin stack and handing it over to Aoko. "I documented everything that happened. And I managed to put him back together properly. He had to stay in bed for a few days to recuperate, but he was well enough today for us to go have lunch out."

"…What?" Aoko blurted, shocked. "Who are you talking about? Is one of your classmates one of us or something?"

"Nope, Shin-chan is a hundred percent human. He's my roommate, and he sort of activated the spell by accident before I could warn him to stay away."

"He couldn't have just set it off by accident," Aoko objected, anxiety making her voice sharp. "To activate the spell, he would have had to know you're not human!"

"I know that."

"But…but that means…"

"Yep."

How could he look so nonchalant about this? "Kaito, you idiot!"

"Oi, oi, calm down Aoko." Kaito waved his hands in a placating gesture. "Take a deep breath. It's not like it's that big a deal. Even if he was the blabbing sort—which he isn't, no one'd believe it. Besides, I wasn't the one who let the cat out of the bag first." His expression grew serious. "If Dad sent you here, he must have told you about the kidnappings."

"Oh." The brunette settled back where she sat, irritation draining away to be replaced by a more somber mood. "He did. Are you saying you met the culprits?"

"I saw them at their work, if that's what you mean."

Her temper flared up again. "Then why didn't you stop them?!"

Kaito remained unfazed. "Shinichi was with me at the time. I had to make sure he stayed hidden. Also, stopping them then wouldn't have helped us find out where the other victims were taken or what had been done with them. Strategically speaking, it was better to let them go at the time and not alert them to our interest in their activities. Finding our answers would be much more difficult if we got their guards up first. Wouldn't you agree?"

"I…yeah, I guess." Aoko sighed, running a hand through her hair. She understood the basic concept, she supposed. That didn't mean she had to like it. "My dad's been helping with the investigation, but they still aren't sure who's behind it. You're probably right about it being either the Burning Ash or the Eternal Tide, but neither of them have been doing anything out of the ordinary that we could find. Not that we could find much, those lots being as secretive as they are. Your father thinks that it's likely though that, whoever it is, might be acting on his or her own without the backing of his or her house."

"Really?" Kaito hummed in thought. "That would be a helpful tidbit if it's true. It narrows down the list. Not many of them have the guts to go behind their clan-mates' backs to work alone. Can you bring me the updated profiles for everyone in those two clans sometime? I haven't seen any of the more recent information because I've been here."

"I could probably get it to you in a few days."

"Good. I can go over them with Shinichi. Maybe we'll find something that'll help us identify our suspects."

"Er, Kaito…"

"Yes?"

"Are you…sure you want to tell your roommate about all this? I mean, sure, he saw what happened, but that doesn't mean he's involved now. It will be safer for him if he doesn't know too much."

"Perhaps," Kaito murmured, tone quiet but eyes grim. "But my Shin-chan isn't the kind of detective who'd sit back and let us handle it even if that would be the smart thing to do. He'll want to be there and do whatever he can to help. Besides, he's an outsider, maybe he could see something we'd miss."

"It could be dangerous."

"I'll keep him safe," Kaito said fiercely. There was a fire in his eyes when he spoke that gave Aoko a moment's pause. She'd never seen a look quite like that on her old friend's face before.

"You really care about this human, don't you?" she said softly, gaze dropping to the thin carpet. Her hands clenched reflexively on her knees, but she forced them to relax. It wasn't like she was upset that Kaito had made such a close friend. That would be petty. It was just that…

There was that feeling again—like Kaito was drifting farther and farther away. He'd been obsessed with the human world ever since that first trip he'd taken with his father. For years now, Aoko had felt as though half of her friend was somewhere far away out of her reach. It wasn't that he hadn't been happy at home—or at least she hoped he had been happy. Still, she could always sense his restlessness. He'd been looking for something, and it worried her to think that he might have found it here. Here in such an alien place away from his home, his people, his family and friends… Leave it to Kaito to not be satisfied with just one world. And it was so like him that she wanted to laugh, but she wanted to cry too because she didn't want him to leave her behind.

"Aoko?"

Looking up, she realized that she had spaced out there for a moment. Kaito was giving her a concerned look. She managed a smile. "Sorry, I was just thinking. Your roommate… You called him Shin-chan? Wasn't that the name of that friend you made last time you came to this world? The one you wouldn't shut up about?"

Kaito beamed. "That's the one. Amazing, right?"

"I would have been surprised, but it's you, so I'm not."

"Well that's anticlimactic."

Aoko laughed. "I was also supposed to tell you that we're throwing a birthday party for your dad at the castle. There will be members from all the Great Houses there. Your father thinks it'll be a good time to dig for information." Pulling a small envelope from her pocket, she handed it to Kaito then stood. "That's from your father. I'll see about getting a copy of that information you asked for. I'll bring it over as soon as I can."

Kaito stood up too, accepting the envelope. "You don't have to leave so soon, you know. If you wait an hour or so, Shin-chan should be back from his lecture. I can introduce you."

"That's okay. If I don't go now, I'll miss my portal. You know I can't open portals whenever and wherever like you do. Besides, I can meet him when I bring you the profiles."

Kaito shrugged. "Suit yourself." He opened the door and held it for her. "Oh, and Aoko," he said just as she was turning away after saying her goodbyes. "It was good to see you again."

Blushing, Aoko nodded and tried to ignore the sudden lump in her throat. "You too."

 **TBC**

* * *

 **A.N** : I'll be going out of town, so I'm putting this up now. Have a great weekend!


	12. Speculations

Disclaimer: I don't own the DCMK characters.

* * *

 **Moon Over Eventide**

12: Speculations

"Your father's birthday party?" Shinichi repeated, bemused.

"That's right. It'll be a good opportunity to sniff around because it's one of the few kinds of occasions that can bring all five Great Houses to one place," Kaito explained cheerfully.

Shinichi hesitated, eyes skittering across the ground. "Can I go too?"

Kaito's grin fell ever so slightly. "Well, I can bring guests. But I have to warn you, it could get dangerous."

At that, Shinichi let out a loud snort. "I know that. I'm a detective, remember? It's not like I've never dealt with danger before."

"That may be so," the magician said, indigo eyes pinning Shinichi in place with a penetrating stare. "But you've never dealt with demons. Our world isn't as orderly as yours, Shin-chan. Trial by combat is still quite common. And, as I've told you before, we don't have laws the way you understand them. If I allow you to come with me, you're going to have to promise to do exactly as I say. No running off on your own even if you think you've found a clue, and definitely no confronting anyone unless I give you permission."

Not entirely sure what to say, Shinichi nodded mutely. He could tell that Kaito was being dead serious.

"Good." Kaito's expression melted back into his usual, relaxed grin, and the tension in the atmosphere dissipated. "The party is a week from now. In the meantime, we have a few things we need to prepare."

"Like what?" Shinichi asked, curious.

"Gifts, of course. I'll need souvenirs for my mother, Jii and the rest of them or I'll never hear the end of it, and I should bring a birthday gift for Dad."

"…Oh." Shinichi had been expecting something more…serious than that. But, well, it was a party after all. He really shouldn't be surprised. "So how old is your father going to be?" he asked on a whim.

"One thousand five hundred and sixty one."

"…What?!"

"Is there a problem?"

Blue eyes scrutinized Kaito's face for any signs of a jest. They didn't find any. Now that he thought about it, Kaito had said before that, last time he'd come to the human world, his appearance had been like that of an eight-year-old. It hadn't stood out to Shinichi at the time because he'd had other things on his mind. Thinking back now, he couldn't help but notice that the phrasing had been more than a little peculiar. "Kaito," he said slowly. "How old are you?"

"I'm only a few decades older than you."

Shinichi gaped at him. "A few _decades_? But last time—and this time—!"

"My people age a bit differently from yours. Actually, to be more accurate, we age much more erratically. Most of the members of my House have some control over our aging once we learn how to control our magic. We can choose how long we'd like to remain in which form before we move on. I guess you could say we decide when we want to grow up." He remembered making the decision to resume aging after meeting Shinichi. It was sentimental, he supposed, but it had just felt right. "The Eternal Tide, on the other hand, all tend to grow really quickly until they hit your equivalent of their late twenties. Then they seem to stop aging completely. Their matriarch has been around for the last five thousand years, but she still looks like a girl fresh out of college. You even have ones like Jii's clan; they're the House of the Shadow Shroud. They all look like old men or women by the time they turn thirty. Don't let the appearance fool you though. They're all very powerful fighters adept with stealth magic. But enough of that. We've got shopping to do! Where would you recommend we start?"

Feeling a bit numb, Shinichi randomly suggested the name of a mall (though he wasn't even sure which name he'd said). Then he let Kaito tow him out the door.

X

Unlike the shopping center by the school, the Yuminichi Shopping Mall was thriving. Colorful lights blazed across its roofs and the faces of its two connected buildings, spelling out shifting advertisements and little dancing pictures to attract customers. The buildings themselves were so brightly lit inside that it felt as though you were standing inside the sun. Tiled floors gleamed like the floors of palaces, and fountains burbled their timeless lullaby from amidst scattered courtyards ringed by miniature dining tables and chairs. Fake plants added to the ambience.

"How about this?" Kaito asked, holding up a strange tray thing with blades in it. Shinichi looked at it then at Kaito then back at it.

"What is it?" he asked finally because he honestly couldn't tell by looking.

"It's a banana slicer," the magician explained. "You put the banana in here, close the lid, then open the lid and voila! Perfectly sliced bananas."

"…And why would you want to give this to your mother?"

"It would save a lot of work for her in the kitchen."

"Because she often needs sliced bananas…"

"When it's banana season, you'd be amazed how many different dishes my mom can work bananas into. And the even more amazing part is that they all taste good. But don't tell her I told you that. Anyhow, I'm pretty sure she could use this."

"But it would only take ten seconds to cut up a banana normally. And can't your mother use magic too? It's not like this contraption skins it for you. So you'd have to peel the skin off yourself either way. Then you either use a knife or stick it in this tray. At best, it would save you five seconds. That just doesn't seem worth it to me."

Kaito thought about this for a moment then shrugged. "You do have a point. I'm not terribly familiar with, ah, the ways of the kitchen though. Last time I offered to help her with her cooking, Mom called me a health hazard and sent me away. So what would you suggest as a gift for an avid cook?"

"Well…" Shinichi turned to the rack beside him and picked up two tall, cylindrical jars. "These are popular right now. They contain grains of sea salt. Then, when you want to use them, you turn this part and it will grind the salt grains into powder for you that you can sprinkle on whatever you're making. There's a pepper version too, as well as different types with different flavored salts. I don't know if freshly ground salt actually tastes any different, but a lot of people like it."

Kaito examined the little contraption, intrigued. Then he put it into the shopping basket. It was joined a mere minute later by five more salt grinders with different flavor promises on their labels.

"Are you sure you want to buy so many when you're not sure yet if your mom will actually like them?"

"She likes everything she can use in her culinary experiments. Besides, I've got a bunch of people I need souvenirs for."

"Well, if you're sure…"

The two university students continued on their way. Every few minutes, Kaito would pick something up and turn to ask Shinichi what it was. The demon, Shinichi found, could derive amusement from the strangest things. It wasn't so much fascination as a deep appreciation. Kaito didn't seem to care so much about what things could do as how and why they were made.

"Frankly, if it's just about results, magic is much more efficient in every way," the demon remarked after Shinichi had shown him how to work one of the laundry machines in a home appliance store. "But it's amazing what humans have managed to do despite starting out with nothing but their bare hands."

Shinichi might have said something thoughtful—like how being asked to explain all these things had led him to the realization that there really was a lot that he didn't know. Or he might have mentioned how he was learning that he had taken a lot of the things in his world for granted. It was like watching a movie for the second time with someone who had never seen it before. Objects that were so familiar that they had become the visual equivalent of background noise were suddenly coming back to vivid life. It was refreshing but humbling too for the very same reasons.

Shinichi said none of this, however, because Kaito chose that moment to pick the laundry machine up so that he could see what it looked like underneath. Shinichi spent a split second gaping before he spun around to see if anyone was looking. Fortunately, the only other customers currently within sight was a couple who had their backs to them. Only marginally relieved, Shinichi smacked Kaito's shoulder.

"Put that down!" he hissed.

Kaito gave him an odd look before gently setting the machine back down at the end of the row. "It's on display. Doesn't that mean we can touch it?"

"Well, yes, but no one looks at the undersides of these kinds of things. And they wouldn't be _able_ to even if they wanted to."

"Oh, right." Kaito looked enlightened. "I forgot. Sorry about that."

"Didn't you use laundry machines last time you were here?" Shinichi asked, picking up the make and model sign that had been dislodged by Kaito's actions. Noting that the tape had long lost its stickiness, he placed the sign on top of the machine.

"No," Kaito admitted. "I saw some, but we just cleaned our clothes with magic at home. Like I said, it's fast and easy, and there's none of that mixing the colors problem. That, and learning how humans did laundry wasn't all that high up on my priority list."

That was understandable, Shinichi thought. Most human children didn't care to learn how humans did laundry either. Still, he was growing more and more curious as to what this magic world that Kaito hailed from was like. And, deep inside him, a spark of excitement at the prospect of actually seeing the place for himself was growing with increasing speed.

Fifteen shops and almost as many bags of souvenirs later, the two found themselves seated in the food court. Shinichi eyed the single bag sitting on the empty chair next to Kaito. Every other bag the magician had gotten had disappeared into that one paper bag. Said paper bag was from the first store they had visited, so Shinichi was fairly certain that it was one hundred percent ordinary. But then he had watched as it swallowed not only multiple kitchen appliances but a stereo system, three tablets, six cameras, a portable projector, a dozen solar power flashlights, and even a massage chair. The clerk at the store where Kaito had purchased the massage chair had been most confused when the magician told them that he didn't need it shipped. All they had to do, he'd said, was give the chair to him, box and all. They had done so then hung around to watch as Kaito casually walked away, pushing the box ahead of him. The magician had pushed the box all the way to one of the smaller halls that led out to the parking lot. There, he had waved a hand at the mouth of the hallway behind them, causing it to shimmer. oddly Then he had pointed at the box. There had been a whoomp of imploding air. And there, sitting where the massive box had been a moment ago, was the same box—only looking like something that had shrunk in the wash.

Kaito picked up the shoebox-sized package and dropped it into his bag. The sound it made landing amidst the other souvenirs had been loud and kind of distant—like that paper bag was the size of a storage shed or something. And maybe it was, now that Kaito had his hands on it.

"Are you going to be able to use any of those electronic items when you bring them back to your world?" Shinichi asked as he sipped at his coffee. His curry rice dish was still too hot to eat if he didn't want to burn his tongue.

"We ran into that problem last time Dad and I brought things back, so we fixed it. We created a few interesting inventions of our own that can replace your power lines and outlets and all that. It's a sort of crystal. You insert it the right way, and it can power any of the electronic appliances just as well as if they were plugged into a socket. The only down side is that the power crystals aren't easy to make, and sometimes they explode. We're still working on that."

"Oh."

"Speaking of Dad, he sent me a letter."

Shinichi's shoulders tensed as he sat straighter in his seat. "Is it about the kidnappers?"

"I haven't looked yet. We'll find out in a moment." Pulling a small envelope out of the air with a flick of his wrist, Kaito drew a finger down the length of its side. The paper parted like a flower blooming, and inside was a folded note. Kaito spread the note out on the table between himself and Shinichi. He placed his own cup of hot chocolate on one corner and pinned another other with a finger to keep the paper flat.

"It's a map," Shinichi said after a moment's contemplation. The area shown wasn't any area he'd ever seen, and none of the names on the map made any sense to him (he didn't even recognize the language they were written in). But it was definitely a map.

"It's a map of the old empire," Kaito said grimly, indigo eyes having gone dark and hard like chips of stone. "From the first empire to rule the world of magic. You could say that this map is all that's left of the world of our ancestors."

"But why did your dad send this to us?" asked Shinichi.

Kaito snorted. "Who knows. My old man never does anything without a dozen reasons and two dozen plans, but that's not important. I believe we've just found our answer."

"Answer?" Now Shinichi was confused. Correction. Even more confused than he had been, which had already been about as confused as he had thought it was possible to be. But he'd been wrong. Anyway, back to the point.

"Remember when we talked about what the humans were being kidnapped for?"

Shinichi scowled. "I remember you _not_ telling me anything useful about it, yes."

Kaito ignored the sarcastic tone and nodded. "Well, frankly, my people are much more powerful than you humans in just about every way there is."

"…Are you _trying_ to sound like a jerk? What's your point?"

"Isn't there that human saying? The one about your greatest strength often being your greatest weakness?"

"Well, yeah… So you're trying to say that those kidnappers were—are—kidnapping humans because there's something us weak humans can do for them that they, being oh so very powerful, can't do for themselves."

Kaito beamed. "Leave it to Shin-chan to pick up all the pieces so quickly."

Shinichi sighed. There was nothing worth cheering for about drawing a few logical conclusions. Or at least he didn't think so. After all, he didn't have any answers to the problem. Having a solution. Now _that_ would be worth cheering over.

"So what does your dad think they're after?"

"He didn't say. But he has a note here about the Opening of the New World section of the Great Library having seen a lot of visitors lately. And, of course, there's this map."

"And?" Shinichi prompted, starting to get annoyed. He knew so little about magic and this other world and demons and humans and what felt by now like just about everything else that it was starting to make him feel rather out of his depth. And that tended to make him feel grouchy.

Kaito leaned forward, indigo eyes bright with something that Shinichi didn't quite like to see in those eyes. It was a look that made his breath hitch and his heart rate pick up. It scared him, to put it frankly. There was hunger in that look—hunger like that of a carnivorous beast that had scented blood.

"The Source," Kaito said, voice low and filled with barely contained excitement.

"The source of what?" Shinichi managed to ask, shifting restlessly in his seat.

"Of magic." The way Kaito said it made it sound like something sacred. "They say that the Source is the birthplace of all magic. It is why the makai is the way it is. It gave life to all the magic in the world, and it gave birth to my people. Of course, most say it's just a myth, but there are quite a few that believe it does indeed exist in a physical form somewhere in the makai. Somewhere that no one has yet been able to find. But popular belief is that it lies within the lands of the first empire. More specifically, somewhere in the ruins of the capital. It is said that, for the demon who controls the Source, nothing would be impossible."

"Okay. So what does that have to do with kidnapping people?"

"There are a lot of theories about how humans may be more adept at divination than demons under the right circumstances. It would take too long to explain. Suffice to say that, long story short, the kidnappers may be trying to use their captives to help them find the Source."

"Which means the abductees have to be alive."

Kaito blinked, sitting back in his seat. "I suppose it does." He laughed then. It was so simple, and yet he had almost missed it. He had been so caught up in the idea of such an incredible treasure and the implications that its existence might have that he had almost forgotten that the main point of this investigation was to rescue the kidnapped humans. Sure, it would be a problem if anyone were ever to get their hands on the Source. However, that really wasn't the issue at hand, was it? Not yet anyway. What mattered now was how to find and rescue the abductees.

Shinichi was right. If their speculations were all correct then this was actually good news.

 **TBC**

* * *

 **A.N** : Ah, I've been really busy! Anyhow, happy Thanksgiving! :)


	13. Preparations

Disclaimer: I don't own the DCMK characters.

* * *

 **Moon Over Eventide**

13: Preparations

Takagi pulled the bill of the cap he was wearing as far down over his face as it would go as he peered around the corner at the ice cream parlor. No, there didn't seem to be anyone he knew around. Not that he really expected there to be, he thought. It was just that, well, crimes happened in all sorts of places. And where there was crime, the police would follow. Therefore, it was safest to assume that he could run into a colleague at any time.

He looked around the corner again. Okay, the coast was clear. Now to determine if the person he was supposed to be meeting was here yet.

"I'm just curious, you understand, but what are you doing?"

Takagi jumped almost a foot in the air. Pivoting sharply, he squashed his hat lower on his head with one hand while he waved the other wildly in front of himself as though he could physically bat away any awkward questions.

"N—nothing! I'm not doing anything," he stammered. "I—I'm just, I mean, I…" His incoherent babbles trailed off as his brain finally registered the face he was looking at. Recognition had taken longer to form than it should have because the hand he was using to keep his hat low was also obscuring his vision. But that smirk was hard to miss. "K—Kuroba-san!"

Indigo eyes looked the police officer up and down. Clearly, Takagi had been going for inconspicuous. The hat, the plain, loose-fitting jacket, the scuffed shoes, the false mustache—they were clearly pieces of a disguise. But the officer had leaped so vigorously into his role that he had come out the other side sticking out like a sore thumb.

"I hope you're not this obvious when you're on your stakeouts," Kaito said, amused. "The criminals would spot you a mile away. Though I guess they may possibly mistake you for an amateur of their own kind, looking like that."

Takagi turned red. He let go of the hat brim and let his hands drop to his sides.

"I got you those files," he said in a half whisper. He pulled a brown folder from inside his loose coat and handed it to Kaito. "You were right. All the kidnap victims were superstitious. Not necessarily all about the same things though. Some collected charms and crystals, and there were several that practiced Fung Sui. Some of them regularly visited a fortuneteller to help them make their decisions. The department store worker often claimed that he could see ghosts."

"I see." Kaito accepted the folder and made it vanish with a flick of the wrist. "It would appear that our theories can't be too far from the truth."

"Theories?": Takagi asked, anxious. "What theories?"

"It's nothing you need to worry about." Grinning, Kaito struck a fighting pose. "I, Kuroba Kaito, will take full responsibility for the task of finding and rescuing the humans who have been wrongfully abducted from their world."

"O—oh… I guess…that's okay then…" Takagi scratched at the edges of his fake mustache as he wondered how he was going to excuse himself. Then the full meaning of the demon noble's words sunk in, and he froze. "W—wait. From their world…? You…you don't mean that the culprits are—"

"One of the other Great Houses, yes. Not sure exactly which one yet."

Takagi paled. "But…if we interfere with them, they're going to be upset."

"Then we'll deal with them."

Takagi bit back the groan he would have liked to just let loose right then and there. And here he'd thought his life would be easier after running away from home. Instead, things just kept getting more and more complicated. Not only had he been found, the culprits behind one of the biggest cases of his policeman's career might very well be members of a Great House. He was not a confrontational person by nature. He disliked fighting. He wasn't very good at it anyway. But if there really were high ranked demons behind the kidnappings then fighting was going to be unavoidable. Before, he would have kept his head down and minded his own business. But, if he had learned anything from coming to the human world, it was that ignoring a problem was never the way to solve it. And, though he still didn't like fighting, there were some things that were worth fighting for.

He just wished he'd managed to tell Satou-keiji how he felt. If he survived the rest of this case, he was going to do it. He would tell her. He nodded to himself.

Still, if he was really lucky, they'd be able to get all the kidnap victims home without actually coming into conflict with any nobles. That would be nice. Unlikely, but nice.

"Takagi-keiji?"

And just when he thought things couldn't get any worse.

"What are you doing here? And why are you dressed like that?"

Kudo Shinichi stood before them. Having just come out of the ice cream parlor, he had a coffee in one hand and a milkshake in the other. The milkshake was handed to a beaming Kaito.

"You are Takagi-keiji, right?" Shinichi asked because, though he was pretty sure that it was Takagi behind that fake mustache, he wasn't sure that the officer would appreciate having that fact pointed out. Shinichi was offering him an opening to deny his identity.

"I just came to give you something!" Takagi blurted out, wringing his hands. "B—but I saw Kuroba-san, and I thought that maybe I could ask him to give the information to you instead."

"Oh." That made sense to Shinichi. It did not explain the disguise. "So what kind of information is it?"

Kaito gave Takagi a pointed look. The officer wilted then righted himself again.

"Well, I did some digging, and I did find that the victims had something in common after all. It turned out that they were all superstitious. Of course, it wasn't the same for them all, but they were all, um, like that. Yeah. There was even one who kept a real rabbit's foot in the glove compartment of his car."

Shinichi made a face. "That's kind of gross. Is it part of the case?"

Takagi looked at Kaito before answering. "Um, well, we don't know. But since I found all this, I thought you might want to see it. If that's all, I'll be going now." He laughed, rubbing at the back of his neck. "Um, well, good luck with everything." With that blanket blessing, he fled.

Shinichi watched the officer flee with some confusion. That kind of an exit just about screamed 'I'm up to no good'.

"He didn't come to give those files to me," Shinichi decided. "He came to give them to you."

"Astute as always, my dear."

"But why the secrecy?" Shinichi paused before blue eyes suddenly widened. He almost spat out the mouthful of coffee he was about to swallow, but he thought better of it. He didn't want to waste even a drop of precious coffee. "Takagi-keiji said he knew your father…"

"That is correct."

"So then he knows who you are and who your dad is…"

"Right again. You're on a roll there~."

The detective scowled. "Don't patronize me. I just… I mean, Takagi-keiji? Really?"

Kaito chuckled. "You wouldn't think it from looking at him, would you? He always was rather remarkably unremarkable. He actually hatched looking completely human. But I think being here has been good for him. He appears to be developing a backbone."

"…" Shinichi felt like he had just heard something very strange. Something involving the word 'hatch'. But he didn't really want to ask about it, so he pretended he hadn't noticed. It wasn't any of his business. And he already felt like he'd fallen down the rabbit hole. Permanently.

"Anyhow, try not to tell anyone about our policeman friend being here. He's trying to keep his little hiding spot under wraps."

That gave Shinichi a moment's pause. "Is Takagi-keiji a fugitive?" He couldn't imagine the Takagi he knew ever offending anyone enough to actually have to go into hiding. And he definitely wasn't the criminal sort. Shinichi could, however, easily believe that the man had gotten into some kind of accident.

Kaito let out a snort of laughter. "Nah. But if his family gets wind of where he is, they'll hop right over and drag him back home. And I doubt he'd be able to escape a second time."

"What is his family like?"

"Just take him and imagine someone who's exactly the opposite. That about sums up everyone else in his clan."

Shinichi pictured a whole family of anti-Takagis and shivered. That was a very, very frightening picture. His sympathies went out to the earnest police officer, and Shinichi vowed that he would keep Takagi's secret.

"So who is this friend of yours that you said you wanted to introduce me to?" he asked, changing the subject. Kaito had dragged him out of bed at seven that morning (it was a Saturday, why couldn't the demon sleep in just this once?), announcing that they would be having breakfast at the dining common then getting coffee and milkshakes from the ice cream parlor Kaito had discovered a grand total of two days ago. They had already visited it six times. After that, he had told Shinichi, would be when they headed over to the park to meet up with a friend of his that he had known for pretty much all of his life.

"She'll be bringing us information from Dad," he said, which didn't really tell Shinichi anything more than he had already guessed.

The Yumeno Rose Garden was a private park being run as a public one by an elderly woman who absolutely loved roses. She had devoted sixty years of her life to the care and development of dozens of different breeds of roses and arranged them to create a luxurious park filled with roses of all colors and sizes, lush, green lawns, and pristine flagstone paths from which visitors could indulge in the beauty of the place. There were several benches and a gazebo or two as well. The place was popular with couples.

Shinichi trailed behind Kaito as the magician strode into the park like he owned it. He led them through an arched sun tunnel and past sweetly aromatic rose bushes until, finally, they came to a fountain that was also shaped like a rose. Water flowed over stone petals and down into a stone basin where real flower petals floated, bobbing and spinning and dancing like fish or flittering shadows on the water. It was quite a beautiful sight, and Shinichi spent several minutes just admiring the artistry. That was when he noticed the girl who had come to stand beside him.

"Ran?" he said in surprise, looking over at her. But no, this wasn't Ran. This girl had a wilder hairstyle, and she wasn't quite as tall or muscular as Ran was. Despite that, the girl gave Shinichi a strange sense of unease.

This girl, his instincts were telling him, was dangerous.

"You're not Kaito."

Shinichi blinked. The girl, who had just made this rather obvious statement, stared back.

"No, I'm not."

The girl considered this, apparently evaluating his answer for flaws. Finally, she nodded. "You're the roommate. I'd heard you looked a bit like that moron, but I don't think you're really all that much like him. That's good," she added as an afterthought. "The last thing the world needs is another Kaito. No one would ever have any peace."

Shinichi let out an involuntary laugh. "That sounds about right."

"Here, here! You can call me Aoko, by the way. I hope Kaito hasn't caused you too much trouble. I know he can be overbearing sometimes, and he's always got to have his own way. There was this one time when we were both still in the Makai Royal Academy. This was our first—no, our second year. The kitchens were making chocolate puddings for our dessert. I'm sure you know by now how much that moron likes chocolate. So Kaito goes and starts everyone betting on the results of the magic exams that day with the pudding as currency. I don't know if he rigged it or not, but he won every chocolate pudding there was. And he refused to share a single one! I was so embarrassed to know him that day!"

"Oh." Shinichi found hat he had no trouble believing the story. "That does sound like Kaito."

"Doesn't it? And that was just one of the small things! There was this other time when—"

"Eh hem."

Two heads turned guiltily to find one Kuroba Kaito standing behind them with his arms folded and one eyebrow arched. "Do continue," he said when he saw them looking. "What are triumphs for but to be shared?"

Aoko and Shinichi traded looks of understanding. Then they laughed.

"Nakamori Aoko," the girl said, holding her hand out to Shinichi. "From the House of the Whispering Wood."

"Kudo Shinichi," Shinichi replied, shaking the proffered hand. "I'm a detective. I don't have a, uh, house."

"But he's going to be joining the Phantom Moon," Kaito butted in, wrapping a possessive arm around Shinichi's waist.

Shinichi turned red and jabbed Kaito with his elbow. "Don't say things like that. You'll give people the wrong idea." Still red, he bowed to Aoko. "Sorry. I'll go…throw away our trash." That said, he took his cup, snagged Kaito's empty milkshake cup from his hands, and marched off in the direction of the last trashcan he'd seen.

"Well, he's…lively," Aoko said, watching him go. "A little strange though."

Kaito laughed. "He can be, but he's lots of fun to be with. He's got to be one of the most honest people I have ever met. Maybe that's why he likes puzzles. Solving them unlocks a truth, and that makes them honest."

Aoko wrinkled her nose. "As usual, I don't understand a word you're saying. Oh, here's the information you asked for."

She handed him a silver folder. Kaito accepted it before producing the brown folder Takagi had given him. He gripped the folder firmly by both sides then pulled his two hands apart. The folder didn't rip down the middle. Instead, it sort of slid outwards in both directions. A moment later, Kaito was holding two identical brown folders. He handed one to Aoko.

"Give this to Dad."

Aoko accepted the folder. "What is it?"

"More information on the victims."

The girl nodded her understanding. She glanced at the curtains of water flowing over the fountain's stone petals then back at Kaito. "Did you mean what you said just now? About him."

"Of course."

"But…he's human."

"I noticed."

Aoko bit her lip. What could she say? There were dozens of reasons as to why this was a bad idea, but Kaito should know all that. It wouldn't stop him. He had always been stubborn that way.

"Don't worry so much," Kaito said, making her jump. If she didn't already know that he couldn't, she would have wondered if he'd read her mind (Lady Akako was the only demon who could read minds. This was not necessarily a good thing. Everyone was, however, grateful that the redhead did not have a big mouth. She was much too enterprising for that. Many a soul had been sent scouring the world for exotic treasures just to acquire a single piece of information from her. But that was neither here nor there).

Aoko heaved a sigh that was one tenth fond exasperation and nine tenths surrender. "Just—don't do anything stupid."

Now, Kaito did laugh. "I'll do my best~."

X

Just one more day to go.

Shinichi found himself wondering if there was anything they needed to be preparing, but Kaito didn't seem to think so. The demon seemed to have put the entire case out of his mind and gone straight back to his usual antics.

Shinichi felt vaguely that there ought to be a rule somewhere about not having candlelit dinners in your dorm room. It was, after all, a fire hazard. But that was just his opinion. Still, it was kind of…nice in a only-Kaito-would-be-crazy-enough-to-do-this kind of way. At least Shinichi had managed to convince the magician to stop showering him with weird gifts and melodramatically corny lines. Although Shinichi was starting to think that all this show was more for Kaito's own amusement than anything else. But that was a matter for a different time.

What mattered now was that the hammering at their door had just proved his point about the candles. Whoever was outside was banging on their door so hard that the whole room seemed to vibrate. Disturbed by the tremors, two of the tall, thin candles that Kaito had conjured from who knew where teetered and sank sideways like they were trying to emulate the Leaning Tower of Pisa. They didn't actually fall over, but they dripped hot wax all over the chocolate cream and banana pie that Shinichi had bought earlier that day from the bakery that he had told Kaito sold the best pies in the city. The demon leapt forward to straighten the candles while Shinichi leapt up to run to the door (which was still rattling in its frame under a barrage of heavy blows. He was half afraid it was going to come popping right off of its hinges).

The moment Shinichi unlocked the door and turned the knob, it burst inward. He leapt back just in time to avoid getting smacked in the face by said door. Then he stumbled even further back as Heiji came half charging half falling into the room.

"She's gone!" Spotting Shinichi standing there with a deer-in-the-headlights look on his face and his hands still upraised as though holding an invisible door handle, Heiji lunged. He seized Shinichi's narrow shoulders in an iron grip that was probably going to leave bruises and started shaking the dumbfounded detective.

"We went to get a book we needed for our midterm project," he said in a rush as his grip tightened even further. "We were at the bookstore, and I thought I'd stop by the mystery section just to see what was new. Then I went to the science section where we were supposed to be getting that book about early astronomy, but she wasn't there. I waited _three hours_! And I tried calling her, but she wouldn't pick up. Then I kept getting that out of service message!"

Shinichi held up his hands in a vain attempt to stem the downpour of worry and disjointed facts.

"Heiji, calm down," he said even though he knew it was a pretty pointless request at this point. "Who are you talking about?"

"Kazuha! Duh," Heiji half barked half snarled, burying his fingers in his hair. "We were out for some materials and books we needed for a midterm. We went to the bookstore, split up to look in different sections, and then I never saw her again!"

"And you tried calling her," Kaito prodded. He either wasn't terribly shocked by the news or didn't particularly care, Heiji seethed, because there he was just standing over a pie and carefully scooping pieces of wax out of the cream. What kind of person worried about wax bits in a pie when a friend was missing?!

"I called her like fifty times. Then I called her dad, and he tried calling her too. But he couldn't reach her either. So he asked the phone company, and they said they didn't know where Kazuha's phone was because it was either out of range or turned off or something like that."

"Would you like some coffee?" Shinichi asked. He knew that having coffee always helped him calm his nerves. Heiji just exploded.

"Coffee? Kazuha's gone missing and you're askin' me if I want coffee?!"

"It'll help you calm down," Shinichi said patiently, though by now he was pretty certain that his methods for settling his thoughts were not going to be as suitable for one Hattori Heiji.

"I'm going back to the bookstore where I last saw her," the dark-skinned detective declared, apparently deciding that the coffee issue wasn't even worth discussing. "I came ta ask you ta help me."

Shinichi opened his mouth to say that he would go, but the words never left his lips because Heiji had suddenly frozen.

There the dark-skinned detective stood with his right fist upraised in that 'give it all you've got' way of his as he talked about going back to the scene of the crime. His eyes continued to gleam with mixed determination and fear that something truly terrible might have befallen his not-quite-girlfriend. His face was mildly flushed with emotional exertion. But though his mouth was open, no sounds were coming out. And those fiercely staring eyes were not blinking. Nor were they staring with any purpose anymore. In fact, if Shinichi didn't know better, he'd have said that, in the span of a heartbeat, Hattori Heiji had transformed from worried and outraged Osakan detective ready to run off to the ends of the earth if need called for it to the wax replica of, well, the same thing.

"Heiji?" Shinichi asked finally when the other detective continued to just stand there.

There was no reply. Heiji didn't even blink. Was he even breathing?

Shinichi rounded on the resident magician. "What did you do to him?!"

Kaito was unperturbed. "Calm down. It's just a stasis spell."

" _Why_?"

"He looked like he was about to have a conniption. Besides, I don't appreciate being interrupted."

"…" Shinichi bit his lip and turned back to Heiji. "Do you think Kazuha was taken by the same group?"

"It is highly probable, yes." Kaito dropped the last wax clump onto the spare dish. "She certainly has above average awareness. Those charms of hers have real power in them too. She'd be an ideal candidate."

Shinichi could have smacked himself. It was so obvious! All the signs had been there all along. Why hadn't he noticed earlier? If he had, he would have been able to warn Kazuha to stay away from the shopping center.

"We'll find her, I promise," Kaito said as though he'd read Shinichi's mind. "We'll find all of them and bring them home. So let's sit down and eat before everything goes cold."

"But what about Heiji?"

"He can wait. If I let him go now, he'll just go on freaking out anyway."

Shinichi gave his frozen friend one last, uncertain look before sinking slowly back into his chair.

It was impossible to have a romantic dinner, candlelit or otherwise, when your colleague was standing frozen two feet away like the artistic expression of a desperate and angry warrior crying for the charge. Frankly, Shinichi was inclined to think he was going to have indigestion. But they still had to eat dinner, so eat they did. It was just…awkward.

Sleeping with Statue Heiji in the room was just as difficult. Though it was too dark to see, Shinichi kept imagining those wide, unblinking eyes staring at him. When he finally drifted off to sleep, it was to dream of staring eyes and open mouths that cried out to him without making a sound. The faces screamed and screamed in utter silence, their eyes pleading with him to understand. But he couldn't understand because he couldn't hear them.

He did not sleep well that night.

 **TBC**

* * *

 **A.N** : Happy holidays!


	14. Your World and Mine

Disclaimer: I don't own the DCMK characters.

* * *

 **Moon Over Eventide**

14: Your World and Mine

Shinichi woke to the sound of his cell phone ringing. Groaning into his pillow, he reached out blindly towards the noise. Scrabbling fingers scraped over the surface of the desk before they encountered cool plastic. Grabbing the phone, he brought it to his ear and mumbled into the receiver.

"Hello?"

"Shinichi." It was Hakuba's voice. The blonde sounded even more uptight than usual. That made Shinichi's sleep fogged mind clear up just a tiny bit.

"What is it?" he asked, rolling over onto his back and staring up at the white dorm ceiling.

"The idiot never came back to our room last night," said Hakuba. "I called him, but there was no signal."

Shinichi blinked slowly before, like shadows creeping up the wall, certain memories began to surface in his mind. He woke up some more. Levering himself into a sitting position, he turned—and there stood Statue Heiji.

The frozen Osakan was still standing facing the corner where Kaito had placed him with that 'off to battle' look on his face and his mouth open for speech. He looked exactly as he had last night.

"Shinichi?" Hakuba's voice grew sharp. "Are you still there?"

"Y—yeah. Sorry. So, um, you said something about Heiji not coming back to the dorms last night?"

"Yes. And I have been unable to reach him. Nor have I been able to contact Kazuha."

"You're worried that something might have happened to him."

There was a brief silence on the other end of the phone as Hakuba struggled with himself. Eventually, however, he had to break down. "I am afraid that he may have gone back to that shopping center. The one that people have been disappearing in. If that is the case then chances are high that, if we still cannot find him by the end of today, he too has been abducted."

Shinichi looked again at Statue Heiji. Yes, he thought, Hattori Heiji really had been kidnapped. It was just that he hadn't been kidnapped by the culprits behind the other disappearances. He had been kidnapped by one Kuroba Kaito and, by extension, Shinichi himself.

"I have a lecture this morning," Shinichi said after some thought. "I'll go search the shopping center after that."

"Text me when you do. I will do my best to join you."

"Right. Thanks." Shinichi hoped he didn't sound too unnatural when he said that. Hanging up, he turned to see that Kaito was already up and dressed for the day. "Because of you, Saguru now thinks that Heiji might have been kidnapped too," he said bluntly. "There'll be police out in droves by the end of the day! His father's a police chief, remember?"

"We'll put him back when we return from my world," Kaito replied, not sounding the least bit concerned. "If all goes well, Miss Kazuha will be back by then as well, and you can tell our rash friend here that he overreacted."

"But that means he's going to have to stand there for at least all of today," the detective argued.

"It's not like he can get tired while in stasis. And he won't remember a thing either."

"He'll still notice that he's lost a day."

"I can deal with that when we get back. Suggestions are easy to plant."

Shinichi wanted to groan, but he decided he'd better not. He was sure he would have plenty more opportunities later. After all, today was the day.

He would soon be going to another world. That, or he'd find out he'd really lost his mind.

Anyhow, they still had their classes to get to. Fortunately, they each only had one lecture today. This was a good thing for two reasons. The first was that it meant they could head out early. The second was that Shinichi was so preoccupied with what was to come that he didn't hear a word the professor uttered. If he'd had more lectures, that would have been even more class material that he missed.

Statue Heiji was still there when Shinichi got back to the dorm. That was to be expected though. And there was reason number three. Statue Heiji was really starting to creep Shinichi out. The sooner they got everything sorted out, the sooner they could say goodbye to Statue Heiji.

Shinichi checked his backpack one last time to make sure he had packed everything he wanted to pack. Kaito had said that he didn't have to bring anything, but Shinichi didn't feel comfortable going empty handed. He'd packed some toiletries and a change of clothes as well as a blank notebook and pen. Then, since there was a CD player among Kaito's horde of souvenir gifts, he'd picked out a couple different CDs featuring a few different styles of music. Hopefully, at least one of them would appeal to the magician's family members. Lastly, because there was room in his backpack, he packed a soccer ball.

Kaito stared rather incredulously over his shoulder as Shinichi zipped the backpack over the curve of black and white polygons. "I assure you, you won't have any time to be bored. I'll see to it."

"I'm not bringing it because I think I'm going to be bored," Shinichi said a bit defensively. "I just thought it might be, um, something fun that people might be interested in. Or do you already play soccer over there?"

"No we don't. But we do have other ball games. You could try playing one of those."

"It also helps me think." Clearly, Shinichi had no intentions of leaving his soccer ball behind.

Kaito shook his head in bemusement. "Well, if you're all ready, I can open the portal."

"I'm ready." Shinichi slid the backpack straps over his shoulders. "Where do we need to go?"

"Nowhere. I can open the portal right now."

"Wait! Here?" Shinichi squawked.

"It's the best place. No one will see anything they shouldn't. Now stand back."

Shinichi backed away hurriedly until his back hit the dorm room wall. He bounced a little because of his backpack. He glanced quickly over at Statue Heiji, who was standing right beside him. Seeing no changes from that quarter, he turned his gaze back to the demon.

Kaito was standing in the middle of the room. He was chanting something in a strange language that made Shinichi's skin tingle. It was as though the syllables themselves had a weight and texture all of their own. As the magician spoke, the world seemed to fade and darken. The edges of the furniture grew softer, less real. At the same time, Kaito himself seemed to grow more real—if that was even possible. He stood out against the grayed out world like the only three dimensional figure in a two dimensional landscape. Slowly, he raised his right hand. Everything, even the walls, seemed to lean inward, holding their breaths.

Then, just as slowly, Kaito drew that raised hand down as though cutting something with his finger. A pale streak appeared in the wake of his hand. It didn't look like a line of light so much as it looked like a crack in the fabric of space itself. Through it, a pale, blue green light spilled into the grayed out, two dimensional landscape, bringing with it an earthy yet spicy sort of aroma. When the crack reached the floor, Kaito straightened again and stuck both hands into the crack. His fingers vanished and did not reappear on the other side of the light. Then the demon pulled outward like he was opening a pair of sliding doors.

Like a pair of sliding doors, the landscape parted, and there before them was a door-shaped hole in the air looking out onto dirt path that wound through towering, moss-coated trees.

Shinichi inhaled sharply, unable to tear his gaze away from the incredible sight.

Kaito stepped aside then and bowed, sweeping an arm out in a clear invitation. "After you, my dear Detective." He was grinning.

Shinichi swallowed hard, gave the straps of his backpack a squeeze to reassure himself that it was there, then stepped forward.

He didn't know what to expect. The image could have been an illusion. Then he would simply go through it and end up on the other side of the room. But he was pretty sure that it was real. It wasn't like just stepping out of an open door though either. As he walked towards the door, it seemed to grow bigger and the rest of the world seemed to shrink and turn even more gray than they had been before. Then there was a long moment when it felt as though his next step was hanging in the air and never going to come down as the world around him hummed and undulated like sluggish waves at sea. The air too grew thick and heavy. He couldn't breathe. Then the moment passed, and Shinichi found himself standing on a packed, dirt trail. To either side of him, shafts of afternoon sunlight fell through the canopy high, high over his head to drift in lazy veils between the towering trees. That earthy yet spicy smell was strong here. But there was a new quality to it—a crispness that seemed to revitalize Shinichi every time he inhaled.

An arm fell across his shoulders as another arm swept out to indicate the woods around them and, perhaps, the lands behind them and the skies beyond that. "Welcome to my world, Shin-chan. I sincerely hope that you will find my world as amazing as I find yours. But no pressure," he added with a grin. "Anyway, we should get going. I brought us to Merwood because it's an easy walk to the castle. I can tell you more about how things work around here as we go."

Shinichi nodded mutely. He still couldn't quite believe that this was all real. It felt like a dream. A very strange dream.

In part, it was because the woods looked just how one expected woods to look. Shinichi knew that Kaito had said that this magic world of his was a parallel Earth, but the detective had still expected to see some kind of difference. Maybe the sky would be a different color or trees some peculiar shape. Instead, he could believe that the two of them were simply out hiking somewhere, except…

Except that there was something missing.

It was the silence, he realized. The distant rumble of traffic was absent even though he could now see a road running parallel to their little dirt trail at the bottom of the slope to their right. It was such a tiny thing, yet it managed to twist the otherwise ordinary landscape into something strange. The road too didn't look quite right. It was smooth like you'd expect of a paved road, but it didn't look like concrete.

Shinichi might have liked a closer look, but Kaito turned then, leading them uphill away from the road. Soon, they were once again surrounded on all sides by the soft, verdant glow of the woods. Shinichi didn't know how long they had been walking, but, gradually, the trees to their left began to thin. Between them, he caught a glimpse of the gleam of sunlight off of water. It was a vast lake lying still and deep.

"Shinichi. Look up."

Dragged out of his thoughts, Shinichi looked up and gaped.

The castle stood tall and white like a towering collection of crystals sculpted by the best of the world's architects into an elegant and beautiful structure that belonged in the hearts of fairytales.

Kaito swept his arms out in a grandiose gesture. "Welcome to Castle Moon. It's waxing right now, so you can't see all of it yet. It should be full in another week and a half."

Shinichi blinked. "You mean your castle waxes and wanes?"

"With the moon. Cool right?"

"But what about the new moon? What happens then?"

"Then we don't invite any guests over because none of them can get in."

"Can you get out?"

"Of course. It would be pretty dumb to build your own castle so that you can't come and go from it freely. The castle doesn't actually vanish. It just shifts in and out of another dimension. Come on, I'll give you the grand tour."

Beyond the castle's blue crystal gates, a wide, flagstone path wound through a neatly kept garden. Shinichi recognized many of the flowers that peeped out at them from the shrubbery. There were others, however, that were unlike any blossoms he had ever seen before (so his expectations were finally being met, it seemed). Large, white flowers swayed amidst green and blue ferns that looked remarkably like massive, peacock feathers. There were little trees that glittered with leaves the color of gold and bushes dotted with tiny, copper berries. There were black roses the size of soccer balls that glittered when you looked into them like they were hiding whole galaxies between the velvety folds of their petals and ice blue peonies with white frosted edges and leaves of frosted silver. There was even a silver sunflower that Kaito called a moonflower because it turned towards moonlight rather than sunlight.

"Isn't that technically the same thing?"

"Not at all."

It was marvelous in its strangeness. Exotic, he supposed was what the word was. But it wasn't the sight of all those odd and unnamable plants that made him stop and simply drink in the sense of otherworldliness. It was the fact that those very same unnamable plants were growing side by side with such ordinary plants as roses that really brought out that sense of awe. That two worlds could be so different and yet so similar: living side by side without fear, bringing out each other's beauty in that way that one alone could never manage.

"I can show you the whole garden after we say hi to my parents," Kaito assured him, noticing Shinichi's amazement at the vast array of flora being showcased all around them. "For now, we can turn and cut through here—"

Something massive and white came barreling out of the sky. Shinichi let out a cry as the large, white something crashed into him, bearing him to the ground under a mass of white feathers. Sparks danced through his head as he gasped for breath. Squinting up through watering eyes, he found himself nose to beak with the biggest bird he had ever seen. He might have called it a dove if it weren't for the fact that it was much larger than even a large eagle. In fact, once it had been coaxed into shuffling off of him and Shinichi was allowed to clamber back to his feet with Kaito's help, he found that his avian assailant was actually quite a lot taller than he was. The bird had to lower its head to rub its feathery cheek against his, cooing so loudly that Shinichi could feel his own bones rattling.

"What is this?" Shinichi demanded, standing perfectly still as the bird continued to coo and rub its head this way and that all over him. If it had been a dog, it would have been poking its nose into every nook and cranny it could find to investigate. Since birds weren't built to be able to do that, the not-dove just cooed some more and buffeted Shinichi with its wings before going to rub its cheek against his again.

"He likes you," Kaito explained, hiding a laugh at the petrified way Shinichi was standing. "You see, Dad brought some doves back years ago. We started breeding them here. But it turned out that doves and magic get along like a house on fire. In no time at all, they grew into these big guys. Believe it or not, this one's the runt of the flock."

"This…is a dove?" Shinichi looked up into the bird's large, round black eyes. It cooed and pecked him affectionately. He was probably going to have a bruise there later.

"You probably don't remember, but you've met this one before," Kaito said, reaching up to pat the dove on the top of its massive head. "I introduced you to some of Dad's doves that time you came to the park to watch us train them for our shows. This one's the dove you saved from the stray cat that tried to eat him."

Shinichi's jaw dropped. He remembered that dove. It had been smaller than its brothers and sisters, and he'd had a soft spot for it since he'd been rather small for his age as well. He brought bird treats for the little dove whenever Kaito let him watch the doves training. And, slowly, the little dove had grown rather attached to him. He remembered quite well that the dove could sit comfortably on the palm of his hand—his seven year old hand. It had been tiny. Despite its diminutive size, it had had quite the adventurous streak, and it often wandered off on its own when the magicians weren't looking. That was how it had ended up cornered by a hungry cat. If Shinichi hadn't come looking for it at just that time, the little dove would surely have been eaten.

This…this dove could probably eat cats for lunch.

"What have they been feeding you?" he asked incredulously, reaching out to pet the bird. The cooing sound grew louder, and Shinichi found himself being smothered by a wall of feathery side. Something, probably a wing, curled around behind him, keeping him where he was, and now there was movement over his head. Turning his head to free his mouth of feathers, he looked up into a pair of round, bead eyes. The massive dove gave another happy coo before its head began to dip. Closer and closer that enormous beak came, and Shinichi tensed, until, finally, the dove—

Began picking through Shinichi's hair.

"Uh, Kaito?" Shinichi asked, his voice rather muffled from within the dove's feathery grasp. "What is he doing to me?"

"He's grooming you," the magician replied through gasps for breath. By now, he was laughing so hard that he was actually doubled over.

"Make it stop," Shinichi hissed at him.

Kaito took pity on him and moved to gently but firmly pry the dove off of Shinichi. "Let him go, Toki, you'll get to see him again later. We both still have to go and say hi to Mom and Dad. You remember what Dad did to you last time you made a guest late."

The bird let out a terrified warble, spread its gigantic wings, and took off. The wind from its launch almost knocked Shinichi off his feet.

"What did your father do to get that reaction?"

"Oh not much. He turned all the doves bright pink and orange for a week."

The castle was just as splendid on the inside as it was on the outside. The halls were all flooded with a warm radiance that seemed to have no source. That, or it was just coming out of the air. Colorful tapestries adorned the walls between tall, graceful statues of strange beasts and towering windows. Shinichi wasn't sure if he was imagining it, but the blank eyes of the statues and the stitched eyes in the tapestries seemed to follow them as they made their way past. Their footsteps were a muted echo, swallowed by the stillness that permeated the place. It didn't take long for Shinichi to notice that, though they had turned several corners, every hallway they walked down was lined with windows, and all those windows opened out towards the lake. He tried to picture the layout in his head, but no matter how he twisted it, there was simply no way that this should be possible.

"Kaito," he said finally. "Are we walking in circles?"

The demon shot him a puzzled look then burst out laughing. "Oh, you mean the windows, right?"

"Every hallway has them, and they all look out on the lake, but we must have looked outside in every direction at least once by this point. Why is the scenery always the same?"

"Space in the castle is twisted. Think about it as a maze, if you will. Mom wanted big windows in every hall and room, so Dad twisted space so that we could make that possible. We're good with dimensions, Dad and I."

"But what about the mountains behind the castle?"

"Well, for those who want to see the forests and the cliffs and all that good stuff, we have the other side of the twist. I'll show you those halls just as soon as we find my old man and tell him we're here."

"How are we supposed to find him? There's no one here." Shinichi was starting to wonder about that. For such a massive castle, there was a surprising lack of life here. No servants, no staff, no family, nothing. Not even a few guards. Where was everyone?

"Dad should be expecting me," Kaito replied. "He's this way."

Another sun drenched hall later, they were standing before a tall pair of lavender crystal doors that opened into a small, open courtyard where a fountain bubbled in the corner at the feet of an amethyst dragon.

At the center of the courtyard sat a round table set for four. The table was of an elegant, antique design that Shinichi sort of recognized. Kaito sometimes conjured up antique looking furniture like that. Was this where he'd been fetching them from? The table was set for four with china plates and cups all trimmed with little blue clovers.

Seated at the table already was a man and a woman. The man was tall with short, slightly messy black hair and a thin, aristocratic mustache. The woman's hair was much smoother, falling to her shoulders. Both had cups of tea in their hands.

It was the man who spotted them first.

"Ah, Kaito," he said with a beaming smile. "So you did make it after all. And who's this young friend of yours? He looks rather lost. You didn't steal him, did you?"

Kaito snorted. "No, he came because he wanted to. Mom, Dad, this is Kudo Shinichi. Shinichi, these are my parents."

Kuroba Toichi nodded to Shinichi. "It has been a long time. I am sorry to hear about this affair with the disappearances, but I give you my word that it will be dealt with."

"O—oh, uh, thank you," Shinichi stammered. Neither of Kaito's parents looked a day older than he remembered. "I appreciate your help."

The older magician smiled. "Think nothing of it."

"You don't have to keep standing, you two," Kuroba Chikage chided, gesturing to the two empty chairs. "Do join us."

"Actually, I want to show Shinichi around before the party. We just stopped by to say hello."

Toichi and Chikage traded looks over the table before the former nodded. "We won't keep you then. But Kaito, I would like a word with you before the guests arrive."

X

"Your parents didn't seem very surprised to see me," Shinichi said when the courtyard doors had shut behind them.

"Aoko probably told them I'd be bringing you. We're going to turn left here so you can see the mountainside windows. Watch your step though. It's going to be busy."

Shinichi nodded then immediately had to leap back as a girl with a trolley blasted past him. He could actually feel the wind from her passing. If he hadn't moved when he had, he would have been run over. Correction. He would have been trampled. By four clawed feet and a pair of slippers. Shocked, he stared after the girl's retreating back. Not only did her trolley have feet, but she herself had horns—two long, curved ones like those of an antelope.

It was as though the girl's passing had punched a hole through an invisible wall in reality.

One moment, the castle was a vast, silent expanse of gleaming hallways. The next, it was bursting at the seams with life and activity. Men, women, creatures and furniture zipped up and down the halls. Some walked at a brisk pace while others ran. A few didn't bother with either, opting instead to fly. None of them were empty-handed. Some bore covered trays or basket loads of flowers. Others had rolls of cloth draped over their arms. One man was marching an army of tall, unlit candles down the hall followed by a small herd of chairs. Most of them waved or called out greetings when they saw Kaito, but none of them slowed their steps.

"The mountainside halls are shorter, so the staff use them to get around faster," Kaito explained. He had to raise his voice to be heard over the din. Grabbing Shinichi's hand, he led the detective through yet another series of corridors that frankly didn't feel any shorter to Shinichi but which did indeed all have windows that turned their faces towards the lush forests and high, rocky peaks on the castle's other side. Eventually, they emerged onto a semicircular terrace so large that it had probably been built for dancing on. Shinichi was a little puzzled by this because, though the paths through the castle had been twisted and convoluted as a ball of yarn that had been put back together after the cat got through with it, they had not once walked up a staircase. Nor, now that he thought about it, had any of the halls felt as though they were built on an incline. And yet here they were, looking out over the terrace rails at a rocky gorge. A waterfall fell in a sheaf of white spray from somewhere higher up on the cliff face opposite them. The water cascaded down and down in ivory torrents until it crashed white and frothing into the watery basin that sat at the bottom of the gorge. Surrounded on all sides by rugged walls of rock, the roar of that waterfall was thrown back again and again until the echoes became a single, bone-rattling thunder. Yet despite the noise, the air here was fresh and clear with a hint of damp and a touch of earth and that same spice that Shinichi had been smelling ever since he had arrived in this world.

"I designed this terrace," Kaito said proudly, waving at the greenery that accentuated the hard contours of the rocky ridges. "I thought having the balcony look out over a gorge would give it a unique ambience."

"Well, it certainly does that," Shinichi agreed a bit dubiously. The railings were just a little bit too low to look safe to him though. "Um, so…What did you want to show me?"

Kaito laughed and threw his arms out as though to embrace the sky. "Everything, my dear. I will show you everything that you want to see. This is the world of magic! Remember? I can show you anything! Anything you've ever dreamed of seeing or hoped to understand, I can show you now that we're on my home turf. You need only to say the word. So, what would you like to see?"

"I…I really don't know," Shinichi admitted, feeling a little lost. Where was he even supposed to start? "I appreciate the thought. But I can't think of anything."

"Oh come on. There has to be something."

"Shouldn't you decide? This is your world after all. I don't know anything about this place. So there really isn't anything I want or don't want to see."

"You have a point." Kaito mused, mimicking the thinking pose he had seen Shinichi adopt before and earning himself an eye roll in the process. "But there's just so much I could show you. We just don't have the time to see it all. It would help if we could narrow the list down at least a little."

"Well, what kinds of things did you have in mind?" Shinichi asked, curious. "I might be able to choose if you tell me what the options are."

"Well, taking our limited time into account, I suppose I could take you to either Fire Lake or Mizuna Peak. Or, if you're interested in seeing the kinds o things magic users make, we could take a trip to the Castle of Spells. It's kind of like one of your malls, but it's dedicated to magically created items. They've got everything from tools and games to art and food."

"While that sounds interesting, wouldn't it take a long time to explore a place like that?"

Kaito laughed. "Days at the least! I guess we should save the Castle of Spells for some other time then. Oh, there's also the Great Library."

Shinichi's face lit up.

"But," Kaito said, holding up a hand to forestall any words, "you won't be able to read anything."

Shinichi's face fell. "Why? Is it not allowed?"

"No, it's not that. The main problem would be that it's written in our language."

"Our—oh. You mean the language of your world."

Kaito nodded, hiding an amused smile at the obvious disappointment on his dear detective's face. "We all learn to speak at least a few of your human languages, and our languages have similar roots to yours. However, our writing is a different matter. The library itself is a pretty incredible piece of architecture though."

The detective bit his lip, thinking. Finally, he shook his head. "I'd like to see it someday, but I'd like to be able to read the books before I go. So, um, if you could…teach me…?" Feeling his face warming, he looked away, pretending to be watching the waterfall splashing into the dark waters below.

"It would be my pleasure," Kaito proclaimed without hesitation. "How about this then? We can head over to Mizuna Peak now. We should have enough time to walk around the place before we have to come back here for the party. Then, tomorrow morning, we can swing by to see the Great Library and pick out a few books I can use to teach you how to read our language. Then we'll go home. Of course, this is all assuming that the kidnapping case is dealt with tonight as we planned."

Shinichi nodded. "Are you sure there isn't anything we should be helping with here?"

"Like setting up traps or something?"

"Er, I meant for the party."

"In that case, nope."

"What about for the investigation?"

"There are a few measures that we'll need to put in place, but they won't be effective if we set them up too early. So, for now, we are not going to think about the case at all. I am going to show you one of the most amazing sights in Makai! So no distractions or I warn you, there shall be consequences!"

Shinichi gulped. "I'll try to remember that."

Two large, white doves landed on the terrace beside them. One, Shinichi recognized as the bird who had tackled him earlier. Toki, Kaito had called him. The bird who had gone from being the size of a ping pong ball to the size of a cart horse. Shinichi was dumbfounded to discover that Kaito hadn't been kidding when he'd said that Toki was still the runt of the flock. The bird who had arrived with Toki was almost twice Toki's size. It looked like a feathery boat or small airplane.

"This is Touga," Kaito introduced the bird. It bowed deeply like it was some kind of knight greeting a noble lady. Not sure how to respond to being bowed to by a bird, Shinichi gingerly patted the dove on the flank (he couldn't reach its head). That seemed to suffice as the bird bobbed its head again then rose to its full height.

"Can you two get Shin-chan to Mizuna Peak for me?" Kaito asked the two large doves.

Toki burbled a delighted agreement then took off.

"He says he'll lead the way," Kaito translated. "Shin-chan, you can ride Touga. He's a real gentledove. He'll make sure you get to Mizuna Peak safely. I have a quick errand to run. Then I'll catch up."

Shinichi wondered as Kaito helped him up onto the massive bird's broad, feathery back if this trip was actually dangerous. He hadn't thought that arriving safely would be an issue. But then the bird had taken off, and Shinichi's thoughts fell away from him just as the earth fell away beneath them.

Flying at night with Kaito had been like a magical dream: surreal. Flying during the day was simply breathtaking. He would have been hard pressed to say which he liked more.

The earth spread out below them like the most intricate of tapestries, all blues and greens and browns highlighted with silver. As they rose higher, white wisps of cloud were added to the weave. They eddied across the picture, softening all the edges and washing out the colors until the tapestry was almost completely obscured by cloud.

"Um, Touga-san?" Shinichi called to the large, round head ahead of him. He hoped the doves understood Japanese. They had started out as doves living in Japan after all. "Aren't we going a bit high?" He could tell that the air was thinning.

The bird made a slightly admonishing cooing sound that gave Shinichi the distinct impression that it was telling him to be patient. The dove was wasting its breath though. There wasn't anything Shinichi could do other than wait. There were no reins, and the detective couldn't exactly go anywhere.

Ahead of them, a spire of cloud grew sharper and more distinct. Focusing on it, Shinichi could see that it wasn't a cloud but a mountain peak rising from amidst the sea of fluffy whiteness. At first glance, it appeared to be covered in snow just as you would expect of a high mountain. The way the light shimmered across its uneven surfaces wasn't quite right though. Rather than the clean, bright white of snow, the mountain peak gleamed with opalescent rainbows like a pearl. Shinichi squinted at it. One moment, it was a white, snow-covered peak. The next, it gleamed pink as Sakura petals. Then it was a shimmering blue just a shade lighter than the sky.

Toki burst from the cloud cover below in a flurry of wings and dissipating wisps of white, startling Shinichi. He almost slipped off of Touga's back, but the dove banked his wings, giving Shinichi just enough of a push to keep him balanced. Shinichi mumbled his thanks through a mouthful of feathers.

Together, the two doves glided in to land. Up close, Shinichi could see that the strange, opalescent substance was indeed snow. It crunched beneath his feet as he slid off the dove's back. It was cold too, and it smelled like snow. It was just—shinier.

"I would have dressed differently if I'd known we were going to be visiting high altitudes," he remarked to the doves. He blew on his hands then rubbed them together.

"Here, let me help you with that."

Shinichi jumped. Spinning around, he was just in time to see Kaito's wings vanish. The chill in the air went with them. It felt to Shinichi like a warm cloak had just been draped about his shoulders.

"Thank you," he said, figuring that the warmth must be a spell of some kind. "Is this really snow?"

"Sure is. There's a lot of magic in the land around here. It's particularly concentrated in the water. That includes the water in the snow and the clouds. The pearly sheen to this snow is a result of that. Not only is it cool to look at, it has restorative properties when consumed. Though you have to be careful because eating too much can make you sick. What Mizuna Peak is most famous for, however, is that." Draping an arm over Shinichi's shoulders, he turned the detective around and swept out an arm to indicate the sea of clouds spread out around them as far as the eye could see. "Demons have traveled here from all over the world to experience the wonders of Mizuna's cloud sea."

"I suppose it is quite beautiful," Shinichi said, considering. "But the snow seems more unique to me."

"Tsk, tsk, making conclusions before you have all the facts? That's not very professional of you, Tantei-kun." Grabbing Shinichi's hand, Kaito started down the snowy slope at a brisk trot. "Come here and tell me if this isn't remarkable."

It was, Shinichi reflected, rather harder to walk on clouds than people might think. The stuff was very soft and rather clinging. With each step, your foot would sink right down into the fluffiness, and, if your shoe wasn't laced on tight enough, you'd likely find that foot emerging without it. It was also kind of damp. But, once you got over the unsteady footing and soggy socks, it really was an _experience_.

"Is this safe?" he gasped, half clinging onto Kaito's arm for support as the two of them walked farther and farther out onto the undulating clouds. He kept expecting to sink through the fluff at any moment to go plummeting to the earth below. His heart was beating just a little too fast to be normal. At the same time, he couldn't help but marvel at the fact that they were literally walking on clouds.

"Perfectly safe," Kaito said cheerfully. "Though it won't be if we walk out much farther."

Shinichi froze, his grip on Kaito's arm tightening. He glared when the magician started laughing.

Kaito extracted his arm from the detective's grasp and wrapped it around Shinichi's waist. "Don't worry. I'll be sure to catch you if you fall."

"That's not funny."

"It wasn't a joke. It was a promise."

Shinichi looked away, face warming. Kaito had sounded so serious.

For a long time, they simply stood there on the clouds, looking across that endless expanse of cotton cream and sky. At some point, Shinichi leaned his head against Kaito's shoulder. The arm around his middle tightened its hold. They watched as the sun sank low in the west. It gilded the snowy peak and stained the clouds pink and gold. Then the sun dipped into the horizon and set the cotton sea ablaze.

"It's time to go," Kaito murmured reluctantly, his breath ruffling Shinichi's hair.

Shinichi let out a quiet sigh of his own and nodded, just as reluctant to break the spell of tranquility that had settled around them. By the time they made their way back onto firmer ground, the last rays of light from the setting sun were welcoming in the night.

Kaito whistled to the doves, who had been racing each other around and around Mizuna Peak, then turned to Shinichi. "So what did you think?"

The detective smiled up at him, his eyes clear and bright. "I wouldn't mind coming again someday. It was amazing. But next time I'm wearing water proof clothes."

Kaito blinked then laughed. "It does get a bit damp." Then, because Shinichi was still smiling with those eyes all aglow with wonder and sunsets and that warmth that Kaito hoped was love, the magician just couldn't resist.

Kaito leaned down and caught Shinichi's lips with his own. The detective gasped in surprise, but he didn't pull away. Instead, he hesitantly wrapped his arms around Kaito's neck. Kaito felt a knot of tension he'd barely been aware of unravel in his chest.

 _Finally_ , something was going the way he'd planned! And he knew he was grinning into the kiss even as he pulled Shinichi closer, fully intent on taking advantage of the moment.

* * *

 **TBC**


	15. What Must be Said

Disclaimer: I don't own the DCMK characters.

* * *

 **Moon Over Eventide**

15: What Must be Said

"I need to go see my father before the party. I'll meet you back in my room afterward."

"How will I know which one is your room?"

"Wait here and Aoko will come find you. She'll show you to my room and help you prepare yourself."

Shinichi frowned. "Prepare myself? Prepare myself for what?"

"Never mind that. Just wait and let Aoko explain it to you. I gotta run. See ya!" With that, the demon noble was gone in a flash of light and a whirl of white and black feathers.

Left alone on the terrace overlooking the gorge, Shinichi stared grumpily at the empty space where Kaito had been for a few minutes before a hand landed on his shoulder and a familiar voice called out his name.

"Shinichi-kun." It was Nakamori Aoko. She beamed at the young detective. "I see you made it after all. If you'll follow me this way, I can show you to Kaito's room."

"Do I get a room to put my things in?" he asked. He hadn't brought much luggage, but still…

"Kaito said that you would be sleeping in his room tonight."

Shinichi's face went red. But no, this was just like being at the dorms. Yeah. They'd been sharing a room for the past few months. This was nothing new.

"Here we are. We got everything ready." Aoko opened a door that looked ordinary enough from the outside. The room on the other side, however was anything but ordinary. It was…It was…

Well, to be honest, it was a confusing mess. It wasn't the kind of pigsty mess you got from slobs who left their clothes lying everywhere and their food out on the tables and the trash overflowing from the bins. In those kinds of terms, the room was quite clean. This mess was the kind of mess a busy person with a lot of hobbies made.

He saw the shelves first because his brain was hardwired to look for books. There were indeed several shelves packed full of books, but books weren't the only items stocking the shelves. There were also several shelves devoted to a large assortment of strange contraptions that glowed or ticked or revolved in lazy circles—sometimes in mid air. The second thing Shinichi noticed (which would have been the first things if not for the aforementioned hardwiring) were the pillars. Perhaps towers would have been the more accurate term. They were woven of metallic thread and crystal beads that sparked and glittered. Each pillar was a different color, and the air between its threads shimmered as though it were distorted. One pillar had colorful bubbles rising up from the floor within it. They floated up all the way to the ceiling where they vanished again just as inexplicably as they had appeared. Each bubble housed a tiny image that Shinichi couldn't make out from where he stood. Another pillar housed a twisting column of fire, and yet another contained a lavender fog. As if the odd pillars weren't enough to look at, they were interspersed with islands of boxes and chests. The only part of the room that might conceivably be called clear was a sitting area tucked into the corner to the left of the front door. Plush couches formed a barricade around a low, oval table. Shinichi gravitated towards this pocket of tranquility, but a hand on his arm stopped him cold.

"The clothes are in the bedroom," Aoko explained when he looked at her.

Her explanation only served to confuse the young detective. "Clothes?"

"Kaito asked us to prepare them for you," the girl clarified unhelpfully. "Here, it's this way." She picked her way around two swirling spires of gold and silver sparks and past a pair of bookshelves to a door Shinichi hadn't seen earlier. On the other side of this door was a bedroom that was every bit as large as the front room had been. You could feel the spaciousness much better here though because the only furniture taking up space here was a four-poster bed and a pair of armchairs that sat to either side of an empty fireplace. The four-poster had dragon feet, and Shinichi found himself recalling the running trolley from before. Did that mean the bed could walk? He eyed it warily for a moment before deciding he'd rather not think about it.

"I had them bring two sets of colors so you'd have something to pick from," Aoko said, gesturing at the bedcovers. Laid out upon those covers were two sets of rather outlandish looking outfits that made Shinichi think of Halloween costumes. "Kaito gave me your measurements, so they should fit you. Would you like some help putting them on? Some of the ties can be a bit complicated if you've never had to use them before."

"Oh. Uh, no, thank you, but I think I can manage on my own," he said quickly. He'd much rather wear his own clothes, thanks. But he didn't say that out loud. "Does this mean that the party is a formal occasion?"

"Only semi formal," Aoko replied with a laugh. "We don't have many really formal occasions in makai. Well, if you don't need help, I'm going to go. I still have some errands I need to run. But if you have any questions, just call for me and I'll hear you."

"I will. Thank you."

"You're welcome."

With a bright smile and a wave, Aoko vanished in a burst of fire that had Shinichi leaping back with a yelp. The backs of his knees hit the edge of the bed, and he fell backwards onto it to land with a soft fwump.

For a long moment, he just lay there, staring up at the ceiling. Though there was no canopy, he thought he could see a shimmer in the air above the bed. It lay between his eyes and the whiteness of the ceiling. It was…like the phantom of the night sky was floating above him.

Drawing in a deep breath, Shinichi sat up and looked around the room. His backpack had been placed on one of the two armchairs. When this had happened, he found he didn't know. He gave the clothes Aoko had left out for him another look then got up and moved to stand in front of the empty grate.

Above the mantelpiece was a collection of framed photographs. There were photos of Kuroba Toichi and Kaito in Paris with the Eifel Tower shining like a beacon against the night sky behind them. There were pictures of the Kurobas out on vacation in places both strange and mundane. But the photograph that caught Shinichi's attention was the largest. It had been hung in the place of honor at the heart of the array. It was the supersized photo of two families sitting on picnic blankets under the spreading boughs of a dozen cherry blossom trees. Pink petals were clinging to all their clothes, and everyone was laughing: silent but so full of joy and wonder and the true happiness that only the laughter of a friend could bring out. Shinichi could see himself in that picture, the little boy half buried in a mound of pink petals as a laughing Kaito sprinkled yet more petals onto him.

Oh yes, Shinichi remembered that day very well. To see a memento of it here now… His throat suddenly felt tight.

Striding to the window, he threw open the curtains to find a sliding glass door leading out onto a small but elegant balcony. It overlooked the lake like most of the castle windows.

Shinichi squinted. There, growing along the shores of the lake, was a tine of trees whose leaves were glowing silver in the deepening shadows of late evening. Each tree looked like a cluster of tiny stars. Together, they edged the lake with its own milky way belt. The effect was surreal.

This place… It really was a different world, wasn't it?

He hadn't even stopped to consider how tremendously far away from home he'd be going when he'd asked Kaito if he could come with him to the party. How ridiculous was that?

And suddenly he realized that he was totally and completely lost here. He knew nothing of this place or its peoples. He didn't even know enough to tell anyone where he was! Not to mention he had no way of going back. He was stranded, clueless, and facing the prospect of attending a fancy birthday party at a castle full of beings who were happy to call themselves demons who might all be as crazy as the one demon he knew (Takagi-keiji didn't seem to count. According to Kaito, the man was quite the atypical demon anyway).

So the only person he knew here was Kaito. And it was debatable how much he really knew about the demon magician. Although he supposed that the fact that he knew what Kaito was at all ought to mean something. He knew that he was infinitely grateful that he had met Kaito at all, and he knew that he trusted Kaito (how else could he have leapt head first into this foreign land without considering the consequences? Come to think of it, he should be careful about that. This wasn't the first time he'd blindly followed Kaito somewhere it was probably wiser to stay away from. He'd had an excuse when he was seven, but he was in university now. He should really know better, shouldn't he…?). He also knew that Kaito cared for him. Strangely enough, the thought made him feel slightly less like a fish out of water. Whatever else—no matter how much he didn't know, he wasn't here alone. Kaito was with him.

Shinichi's stomach fluttered a little at the thought and the memories it brought with it. Memories of a warm mouth over his, a smile—burning, indigo eyes gazing deep into his own sapphire blues, full of passion and promise and a million other things that Shinichi couldn't put names to just yet.

It was true then, he mused, dazed. He really was in love with Kaito. In some ways, he thought he might have known it all along. He just hadn't been ready to admit it until now. The truth was that the idea both terrified and relieved him. It was good to be sure, but it was terrible too.

What if Kaito's parents didn't approve? They'd been polite enough earlier, but they only knew he was a friend of Kaito's. What if they did like him but had problems with his status as a human? Even if it was true that humans and demons had once been the same species, they were obviously very different now. What if his presence here caused trouble for the Kurobas? Questions whirred through Shinichi's head. It was like having a swarm of bees buzzing in his head. A swarm of angry bees.

X

"You wanted to speak to me?" Kaito asked, materializing in his father's study where he had sensed the older demon's presence.

Kuroba Toichi looked up from his desk and nodded. "It's about your human friend," the older demon said. "You realize that allowing him to tag along with you on this little venture could be dangerous for him. He's always had quite an affinity for divination, even if he does spend most of it finding trouble. Considering our adversaries…" Toichi waved a hand expressively. "He will be a target. I'm sure I don't have to spell it out for you."

Kaito's expression hardened. "I won't let anything happen to him. He's mine. I'll keep him safe."

"I see." Toichi considered his son for a long moment then nodded. "If you're sure then take these. You will need them later." Toichi waved a hand, and a small, maple wood chest appeared on his desk. He lifted the lid and removed a pair of wristwatches. The accessories levitated up off his open palms and over to hang in the air before Kaito.

The younger demon plucked the watches out of the air and examined them. They were simple in design with soft, leather straps and thin, gold needles ticking across polished, white faces. On one watch, however, there was a small, golden feather—or rather the picture of a small, golden feather—drifting lazily around the clock's round face. It spun in lazy circles as though tumbling through a slow, honey wind. Its lethargic revolutions traced looping patterns beneath the clock hands that glimmered silver before fading back to white. When Kaito touched this watch, the gold feather spun towards his thumb then stayed there, twirling like it had been caught up in a tight twister.

"It detects portal magic," he observed, intrigued.

Toichi nodded. "As you know, everyone who uses a portal has a little bit of residual portal magic around them for a while. The residue clings strongly to the casters and less so to their passengers as well as any bystanders in the vicinity. In any case, this handy little creation will point you in the direction of anyone who's been using portals recently as well as anyone who has been spending extended periods of time around portals and portal users."

"It's been kind of a trend for younger demons to go over to the human world to have fun for a day or two though," Kaito mused. "That means lots of portal energy."

"And that is where we come in. We talk to them and figure out why they might have been there."

"But what about this watch?" Kaito plucked the second watch from its perch on thin air. It looked almost identical to its twin. The only difference was that, on this clock face, there was a large, ornate silver leaf revolving around the axis. "This second one's got a compass built in," Kaito observed.

"That it does," Toichi agreed. "But it's not the kind of compass that points north. In theory, it should be able to detect traces of a person's aura—provided the wearer both knows the person well and strongly wishes to find them."

"Why in theory? Haven't you tested it?"

"I haven't been able to make it work myself, but the concept is sound."

Kaito held the watch up, watching as the leaf turned to point in his direction. He conjured up an image of Shinichi in his mind and concentrated. Nothing. The leaf didn't even wiggle.

"I can't use it either," he said a minute later.

His father didn't look surprised. "It uses the Theory of Spiritual Resonance."

Understanding lit in indigo eyes. "So you mean I should give this to Shinichi."

Toichi nodded. "You did say in your message last night that one of the recent victims was a friend of his. But keep in mind that there is no guarantee that he will be able to use this either."

"He can do it," Kaito said confidently.

"We shall see."

X

When he got to his quarters, he found Shinichi standing before the balcony doors. The detective appeared to be lost in thought. He made no move to suggest that he had noticed Kaito's presence. If Lady Akako had been around, Kaito thought he might have been willing to pay one of her exorbitant prices to find out exactly what his beloved was thinking about right then. Padding up behind him, Kaito wrapped his arms around Shinichi's waist from behind. He felt the detective start, but then the boy relaxed, leaning back into Kaito's embrace.

Pleased, Kaito tightened his hold. "What are you looking at?" he asked. Not wanting to shatter the moment, he kept his voice just barely above a whisper.

"Those trees down by the lake," Shinichi murmured back just as softly. "They're…" He spent a moment searching for the right word before settling with, "unearthly."

Kaito chuckled. "So you see them."

"Well, they do glow in the dark."

"For some. For others, not so much."

"…What, you mean they only glow for certain people?"

"Not exactly. They're Mirror Blossoms. Most can only see their reflections in the water. The trees themselves look bare. You need a certain level of awareness to see the original flowers and leaves."

"Awareness?"

Kaito hummed an affirmative. Unwinding an arm from around Shinichi, he showed the detective the silver leaf watch. "This is for you."

Shinichi listened in silence as Kaito explained the mechanics of the watch. Well, explained may have been an overstatement. Most of it was little better than gibberish, but Shinichi understood the plan if not any of the whys or wherefores. In essence, it appeared that they would be attempting a spiritual equivalent of tracking someone by their scent. When he made this observation to Kaito, the demon paused then started laughing.

"I hadn't thought of it that way, but yes, that's exactly it," he said, still shaking with silent mirth. "So," he continued when his laughter had subsided. "Can you do it?"

Blue eyes darkened. "I have to. They're all counting on me. But…" But he didn't know anything about magic, and he didn't understand why Kaito thought he was more suited to try this than the magician or his father (though he supposed he was the only one with a close friend among the victims. Was that it?). He couldn't really believe that it was going to be that simple. That easy. And he had no idea what they were going to do if this odd little plan didn't work. And was Kaito serious when he said that Shinichi's unfortunate tendency to trip over crimes around every corner was due to some sort of supernatural awareness? A few months ago, Shinichi would have dismissed the notion as preposterous. But he'd seen so many outlandish things since then that making such a dismissal would be foolish.

"You can do it," Kaito said, leaning down to rest his chin on Shinichi's shoulder.

The calm certainty in his voice made the detective's stomach flutter strangely. It was a nice kind of strange though.

"Kaito, I…"

"Yes?"

Shinichi took a deep breath and let it out slowly. His gaze remained fixed on the glimmering line of trees down by the lake. "I'm glad I met you. I… I just wanted to tell you that." He could feel Kaito's smile against the side of his neck.

"Thank you. I'm glad to hear it. And I too shall be forever grateful to the whims of Fate for bringing you to me."

Shinichi would have snorted at the melodramatic statement if he weren't busy blushing at the feel of Kaito's warm breath against his neck. His thoughts scrambled to reassemble themselves into something more coherent. They were interrupted again before they could take shape by what sounded like a quiet chanting by his ear. His eyebrows drew together in confusion as he strained his ears to hear better. That definitely wasn't Japanese—or any language he recognized. He opened his mouth to ask Kaito if he was talking to him, but he was cut off by a sudden and rather sharp pain.

Shinichi lurched away from Kaito with a yelp. Caught off guard, Kaito too stumbled.

They fell.

Shinichi flailed. He twisted and managed not to hit his head against the handle of the balcony door. He proceeded to have all the breath knocked out of him when Kaito landed on top of him.

Both detective and magician froze.

They stared into each other's eyes. Shinichi didn't think either of them were even breathing. He could hear his own heart pounding in his ears

Kaito counted slowly to ten then got up. He shifted to sit on the floor. Having Shinichi all flushed and at his mercy was a little too tempting. He counted to ten again. But though he managed to hang onto his self control, he couldn't quite bring himself to let Shinichi go. So he carefully pulled the strangely quiet human onto his lap.

"Shinichi?"

Still feeling oddly dazed, Shinichi gingerly examined the tender spot on his neck, surprised to find no blood. "What did you _do_?" He'd thought at first that he'd been bitten, but there was no wound.

Kaito buried his nose in the smaller boy's hair. "It's a precaution."

The detective pulled away and fixed him with an indignant, blue glare that suggested whatever shock Shinichi had been in was wearing off. " _How_?"

"Promise not to freak out if I tell you?"

The glare intensified.

Kaito coughed lightly. "It's a sign of intent. It means that I've decided you're going to be mine, and everyone else had better keep their hands off."

Shinichi stared at him for a moment longer then smacked him upside the head. "I did not give you permission to do that! And what do you mean _you've decided_? You can't just _decide_ these things about other people! You're supposed to _ask_!"

"But you said you liked me, and I know I like you, so what's the big deal?"

"I agreed to go out with you, not marry you. They're completely different things! I _know_ we've been over this before. There's an order to how this works, Moron. The whole reason for dating is to get to know a person and figure out if you really want to spend the rest of your lives together or not. You might think you like someone and then find out you're totally unsuitable. It happens all the time."

"Are you saying you expect us to fail?"

"What?" Shinichi looked taken aback. "No, I… I didn't mean it like that." He turned his face away, chin dropping. "Why did you call it a precaution?"

Well that was a rather obvious diversion, Kaito thought. Honestly, humans were so complicated. Sometimes he doubted they even understood themselves. He magnanimously decided to pretend he hadn't noticed anything and just answered the question.

"Most of my people consider humans to be inferior life forms. It wouldn't be safe for you to wander around by yourself, and I probably won't be able to stay with you the whole time we're at the party."

"Oh." Shinichi considered this. "So you're making sure that the others will know that I'm under your protection."

Kaito brightened. "Yes, that's exactly it. This also means I'll be able to find you no matter where you go."

"Oh joy, just what I needed. You to have a failsafe way to stalk me."

"You should be able to find me too. Although, since you're human, I guess I'm not sure about that one… To be honest, I don't really know how it affects humans."

"You do realize that that is not reassuring, right?"

"Hey, you're the one who's always telling me about the almighty power of truth."

"Well there's something called tact too."

"That there is." Kaito chuckled. It sounded like Shinichi wasn't upset anymore. "I promise that I shall make better use of it in the future."

Shinichi let out a loud snort that spoke volumes on what he thought of that statement. "What, so does this mean we're engaged now?" he asked dryly.

"I suppose that would be the human equivalent, yes. Although," he continued, voice lowering into a purr, "we could always go ahead and make it official."

Shinichi's blush returned full force, and he felt suddenly like finding a wall to bang his head against. Instead, he jabbed Kaito with his elbow and scrambled to free himself from the magician's grasp. "Let go of me already! Shouldn't we be going down to greet your dad's guests soon?"

"I suppose you have a point." Kaito heaved an exaggerated sigh and released Shinichi. "By the by, you should really get changed. I didn't have those clothes brought up so you could look at them. You have to actually put them on. You can't go to the party dressed like that."

Shinichi looked at the two outfits on the bed again. "Isn't there anything a little less…fancy?"

"If you think those are fancy, wait until you see the other guests."

"…I'll take that as a no then."

"Afraid not. Would you like some help putting them on?"

"Uh, no. They're just clothes. I'm sure I can manage." Shinichi dithered for a moment over the garments before picking the one that was predominantly shades of blue. Then he turned to find Kaito still standing behind him. He pointed to the door.

Kaito looked at his pointing hand then back at his face. "What?"

Shinichi twitched. "Out!"

* * *

 **TBC**


	16. Meet the Species

Disclaimer: I don't own the DCMK characters.

* * *

 **Moon Over Eventide**

16: Meet the Species

 _"The first thing you need to remember is that demons come in a much wider variety of shapes than you humans do. Don't make assumptions, and don't stare."_

The first guests had arrived in a carriage drawn by coal black horses with manes and tails of jet black fire. Servants had appeared to lead the horses away as the owners of the carriage ambled through the castle gardens. They were a tall, slender lot with skin the color of polished ebony and white hair that drifted about their heads and faces like the soft wisps of clouds. They smiled and nodded their greetings to Kaito when they spotted him coming to meet them, but their pace remained languid. The whole party halted by the midnight roses.

"My goodness, they are growing well," the tallest of the group, a woman dressed in flowing, white and purple robes, remarked as she smiled fondly at the massive blossoms. "They truly capture the essence of the starry sky. Lady Chikage has done an excellent job caring for them."

"She loves them," Kaito told her as he finally reached the entourage. "She was worried for a while that she wouldn't be able to get them to thrive the way you did when you gave her the cutting. But you should have seen how excited she was to have real midnight roses from the garden of Lady Eloniss in her garden."

"You flatter me," the woman, probably Lady Eloniss, murmured with a soft smile and a laugh. "This plant is one with a very strong life force, you know. It will grow well as long as it is given the opportunity to. And looking at this specimen, I'd say that your mother has managed to do just that. I can see the great care she has given these roses just by looking at them."

"She'll be ecstatic to hear such high praise from you, Lady Eloniss."

The woman flicked her long, elegant fingers at him, sending wisps of white hair drifting in the air. "There's no need to thank me. Now tell us about your father. Is the man really going to go back to the human world again?" she asked, leaning forward with concern shining in her large, dark eyes. The soft clouds of her hair settled thick and anxious around her head.

"He always does sooner or later," Kaito replied with a shrug.

"I suppose he does." The lady seemed to settle back into her voluminous mane. "The moon lilies should be in bloom. It would be lovely to see them."

Just follow that path over there."

With that, the whole entourage drifted on in the direction that Kaito had pointed.

The last demon in the procession paused next to Shinichi, who had been watching the encounter from a few paces behind Kaito. "My goodness," the demon said in a tone of lazy surprise. "You smell human." With that, she wandered off after the others. Shinichi watched her go at a bit of a loss.

Soon after that, more guests started to trickle in. It was like watching a parade of imaginary creatures that were imaginary no more. There was a man with three eyes and a trio of what Shinichi could only call centaurs. Kaito had welcomed the equine lot like everyone else before informing them that, "Dad's asked that everyone be changed."

And suddenly there were three humans walking up the path instead of three half-horses. There had been no shifting of features or shimmering of light. They were simply four-legged one moment and bipedal the next.

There was a girl with glittering, butterfly wings whom Kaito introduced as Keiko, a friend of Aoko's. She was followed by a woman who was completely transparent. Her presence was marked only by a faint outline in the air and the glimmer of pale, silver eyes. Some guests were furry, others were scaly, and a few were so short that they barely reached Shinichi's knees. Then came a skinny man with a shock of green hair and the eyes of a snake riding a black wolf the size of a cart horse.

"Good evening, Lord Mathus, Tor," Kaito said with a shallow bow. Since the magician hadn't bowed to any of the other guests, Shinichi assumed that this guest was from a Great House.

"Don't think I've forgotten your transgressions," the wolf snapped in a deep, gravelly voice. "You will never set foot in my school again."

"Rest assured, I have no intention of going back to the Royal Academy," Kaito replied, unfazed.

"Bah!" The wolf loped past him without a backward glance. Its rider slid off and bowed deeply to Kaito before disappearing down a side path.

"Don't forget to change before you go inside!" Kaito called after the wolf's departing figure. He made sure to sound extra cheerful. Even from this distance, he could see the wolf's hair bristle. He grinned and turned to Shinichi. "That was my former principal."

"I guessed as much," the detective replied, resisting the urge to roll his eyes. "But who was the other one?"

"The one with the green hair? That was Tor. He's one of Lord Mathus's attendants."

And now, Shinichi reflected, he knew why Kaito had specifically warned him not to judge anyone by their appearance.

X

 _"The second thing you need to remember is to be careful what you say. Everyone around here has an excellent memory. And the ones who hold grudges, well, let's just say you'd need a hundred lifetimes to outlive their grudges."_

The party was now underway. The venue was a massive ballroom inside Castle Moon with tall, arched windows that looked out across the lake. Round tables had been scattered along the outer edges of the room, each laden with a veritable feast. A single long table stood beside a hearth that could have fit an entire tree inside. This table had been given over to the gifts the guests had brought. Tall flames danced in the hearth over an empty space where logs should have been. And there, just barely distinguishable amidst the flames, were two golden salamanders that flickered like the fire around them.

The center of the hall had been transformed into a dance floor. Colored lights swirled beneath the surface of the stone tiles covering the ground. And above the heads of the guests, a flock of flaming butterflies provided a constant, flickering light.

It was a vision out of a fantasy. It was weird, it was amazing, it was inexplicable, and it was definitely not home.

"You!"

Shinichi glanced over at the angry exclamation to see two men (he might have called them young, but he suspected he'd be wrong) glaring at each other over a table sporting a spread of things that looked like pies. Well, the blonde one was glaring. The other just looked apathetic.

"Don't think one little victory makes you better than me," the blonde was saying.

"I see you have conveniently forgotten your six hundred and eighty one losses before that."

"Arrogant bastard. One point ahead and you think you're invincible. That's just pathetic."

"Says he who still throws tantrums like a child when he is faced with defeat. And here I thought two hundred years was long enough for even the slowest of minds to learn, but I guess I was wrong."

 _"Oh, and last but most certainly not least, don't talk to creepy, redheaded women. If you can't avoid it, make sure you don't agree to anything no matter what she says. Come to think of it, maybe that should have been rule number one."_

"Oh look, it's a human."

Shinichi bit back a sigh and turned. He'd already lost count of the number of times he'd heard that comment or something like it since the party had swung into motion.

This time, the comment had come from a young woman with dark, crimson hair and ruby bright eyes that gleamed in a way that made Shinichi want to back away quickly.

"You are human."

It was a statement, not a question, but Shinichi decided to treat it as a question anyway and nodded. "I am. I'm Kaito's friend from school."

"Oh?" the creepy redhead leaned forward. The tall, thin glass of wine in her hands tipped as she did so, teetering on the verge of spilling its crimson contents all down Shinichi's front. "But that isn't all, is it?" Her red lips curled into a decidedly wicked smile.

Shinichi had a rather overpowering urge to leap away. Unfortunately, one of the little round tables was right behind him, so he had nowhere to go.

A voice cleared itself next to them. "Lady Akako, I would appreciate it if you refrain from creeping out my guests."

The redhead withdrew, and Shinichi let out a sigh of relief. Both detective and redhead turned to find that Kaito had arrived. He had a pair of tall glasses in his hands. He handed one to Shinichi.

"Try this. It's not actually coffee, but I think we got the taste pretty close."

Shinichi nodded his thanks. He'd been rather horrified when he'd learned that the makai didn't have any coffee (what kind of world didn't have coffee?! It was a travesty!), but Kaito had mentioned a substitute. Raising the warm glass, Shinichi eyed its contents with some trepidation. The aroma wafting from its surface did bear a certain resemblance to that of coffee, but the liquid itself was a startling shade of turquoise blue. Frankly, it didn't look potable, but… Well, Kaito wouldn't have given it to him if it was poisonous, and it did smell right.

Giving in, he closed his eyes so he wouldn't have to see the weird color and brought the cup to his lips. The liquid was hot and bitter with a touch of sweet, and yes, it did taste a bit like coffee. A very thick, slightly burnt caramel sort of coffee laced with a butter smooth undertone.

Blue eyes blinked open in delighted surprise. "This is really good. What is it?"

Kaito coughed into his hand. "Oh, it's nothing really. Just the boiled fruits from a screaming tree."

Shinichi stared at him blankly. "What?"

"It's a kind of tree you can find in the forests up around Diminitass. They never go to sleep, so they scream all the time, arguing with each other and anyone who comes by."

"Wait, wait. I thought you were talking about a tree."

"Yeah. You'll never meet a better batch of vegetation for having a heated debate with. Anyway, the more fired up they get about their arguments, the faster their fruits ripen. And the faster they ripen, the richer the flavor. Once they're ripe, the fruits can be picked and dried. Then you just add hot water to get this tea."

"Oh…" Shinichi found he couldn't look at his beverage the same way again. There really were some things that you didn't need to know after all.

A woman's laugh reminded both Kaito and Shinichi that Akako was still standing with them. Her lips were curled into an amused smile.

"Perhaps I should pay the human world a visit sometime myself," she murmured. It was unclear if she was speaking to herself or to them.

Kaito coughed lightly. "I doubt it would be to your tastes."

"Now, now. That's hardly sporting of you," the redhead replied. "Trying to keep all the fun for yourself." She paused to take a sip from her glass. "So tell me, how is your search?"

"It's going as expected," Kaito said airily, neither his tone nor his expression giving anything away.

Now, the redhead leaned towards him. Her smile shifted from amused to predatory, and her ruby eyes seemed to glow. "I can tell you who you're searching for, you know."

Kaito's polite smile never wavered. "I'm sure you can. But it won't be necessary."

"Oh? Do you really think you can spare the time?"

"I assure you, my lady, we will have this matter sorted out shortly. However, I do thank you for your, ah, _support_."

Akako studied him for a moment longer before she shrugged and turned away in a sweep of crimson hair. "If you change your mind, you know where to find me."

The two young men watched her go before Shinichi turned questioning eyes on Kaito. "What was that about?"

Kaito snorted, dropping his polite mask from moments earlier. "Lady Akako can read minds. She probably already knows who the kidnappers are and where they're keeping the victims. She was trying to sell us the information."

"I take it that she wasn't trying to be helpful?"

"Let's just say she's famous for her extravagant fees. Once you start paying, you often find that you never stop."

Shinichi nodded his understanding. It was a little frustrating to know that there was someone who might have their answers right there that they couldn't ask, but there was no help for it.

"Did you find anything?"

"I may have." Guiding Shinichi over to a table covered in little dishes full of…stuff the detective couldn't name but which was apparently not very popular, if the lack of guests at the table was anything to go by, Kaito pretended to be introducing the dishes to Shinichi as he spoke.

"There are strong traces of portal magic on those two over there." He nodded to a small cluster of men and women not far away who were caught up in a heated debate. "The blonde male is from the Burning Ash. His name is Bourbon, but he prefers to go by Amuro. He's always been a bit of an oddball in the clan, though that may be because he's just a kid. The portal energy around him suggests he must have been to the human world less than a week ago. Then there's the man he's arguing with. Akai's from an upper middle house that serves the Eternal Tide. Very few people ever know what he's up to at any given time. I believe it drives his mate crazy, but she's pretty active herself, so maybe not. Anyway, he's been to the human world less than three days ago."

"I heard them arguing with each other earlier," Shinichi murmured back, picking up a tiny dish of what looked like miniature purple sea stars. "My watch didn't react."

"Well, that may mean they're not our quarry, or it may mean they didn't come into direct contact with Kazuha-chan," Kaito mused. "Did you happen to hear what they were arguing about?"

"It sounded kind of juvenile," Shinichi said, shaking his head. "Something about beating someone's high score on a fighting game. It sounded to me like they were talking about an arcade game."

Kaito turned this over in his head then laughed. "You know, that wouldn't surprise me. Those two are always competing over something. Though I guess it's more accurate to say that it's the kid trying to beat Akai at something. The arcade is as good a battleground as any. Though I wonder if they know that Lady Jodie could probably mop the floor with them both."

"Jodie?"

"Akai's mate. She's the one standing next to him. She's from the House of the Eternal Tide. As is our next suspect."

Nudging Shinichi around, Kaito directed Shinichi's gaze to a young woman standing by one of the ballroom's large windows. She was slim and dressed in an elegantly simple white and silver garment. Her hair was ginger in color and fell only to her shoulders. She had a glass of the same blue liquid Shinichi had in her hands, and, now that Shinichi thought about it, he hadn't seen her move from that spot by the window all evening.

"Who is she?" he asked, wondering why he felt the need to whisper.

"That's Miyano Shiho of the Eternal tide. Another black sheep, so to speak. She's a lot easier to talk to than most of her kin, but you gotta be careful 'cause anything you say can and will be used against you if she puts her mind to it. She's a researcher though. She's been studying the natural magic in our world and the effect it has on living beings. She comes to examine our doves pretty regularly as part of a side project. All in all, I don't think she's the kind of person who'd snatch people off the streets. But if she felt like doing so would greatly aid her in her research…" he shrugged. "She may bend a few rules for that."

"So she's a scientist," Shinichi summarized. That was the way Professor Agasa, an old family friend, was too. He would do a lot of crazy things in pursuit of perfecting that sure-to-be-amazing invention. And even if it failed, he would say that he had learned where he'd gone wrong and start all over again from scratch. It was the spirit of the scientific mind to look for a hundred ways around every failure.

"So she might be interested in the Source or how humans might be able to find it," Shinichi concluded.

"Yeah. Though, if it's her, we won't have to worry about any of the victims being dead. She doesn't do that sort of thing. Go talk to her."

Shinichi blinked, taken aback by the sudden command. "What?"

"Go say hello and see if your watch reacts."

"But aren't you coming with me?"

Kaito laughed. "Er, it would be better if I don't."

Shinichi heaved a resigned sigh. "Fine." Not-coffee in hand, he meandered his way across the dance floor to where Shiho was still standing by the same window, nursing the same cup of blue tea.

"Um, excuse me," he said hesitantly, trying to keep one eye on the face of his watch and one eye on the girl's expression at the same time.

He found himself the focus of attention of a pair of cold, gray blue eyes. "What is it?"

There was something about the way this woman looked at him that made Shinichi feel like he was eight years old. He swallowed before deciding to just go with the truth.

"I was wondering if you've ever been to the human world."

She stared at him for a long moment then turned back to the window. "Yes."

Curious, Shinichi followed her gaze out to the lake. There again, the moonlit cherry blossoms glimmered like a belt of lights around the water's edge. "They really are amazing flowers," he murmured more to himself than to the audience he'd forgotten he had. "I think…it was seeing that that really made me believe in magic."

"You can see the blossoms?"

Startled, Shinichi turned to find Shiho still standing beside him. Her eyes were now fixed on his face, though their cold apathy from before had given way to a mild interest.

"Yeah," he said finally. "Though I didn't realize what was going on with them until Kaito explained it to me."

"So Lord Kaito brought you here from your world, and the thing that convinces you that magic is real is the flowers of those trees." The girl sounded amused, though Shinichi couldn't for the life of him say why.

"I guess real magic lies in the details then," he said, draining the last of his not-coffee. "It's those little things that really bring home that something isn't as you thought or how it seemed. When everything is different, there's no reference point, and so it's just one big 'wow' before it goes away."

This time, Shiho laughed. It was a small sound that was more a scoff, but it was enough to make Shinichi jump.

"You're an interesting one," she said. "You take being displaced from your own world quite well."

"I wouldn't go that far," Shinichi admitted. "I think I just got used to strange things from spending so many months living with Kaito."

Shiho snorted. "That barbarian certainly does like to stir up trouble. So, tell me, Human, what really brings you here?" She gestured at the hall around them.

"I would really prefer that you call me Shinichi," the detective said, mildly exasperated. Seriously, so what if he was the only representative of his species at this ball? He was still an individual with his own name, thank you. And had she just called Kaito a barbarian? That seemed a bit extreme. Then again, Kaito being Kaito, he'd probably done something to warrant the girl's ire. It would certainly explain why he'd refused to come talk to the girl himself. "I'm actually here looking for a friend."

"You are quite well connected for someone not from this world."

"She's from my world," he replied, watching her expression closely. "She disappeared while out shopping."

"I see. You must be talking about those kidnappings. I had heard rumors. I suppose now I know that they were not mere rumors but echoes of the truth."

This woman was difficult to read, Shinichi thought. But his instincts were telling him that she was being sincere. "Can you tell me more about these rumors?"

Shiho shrugged. "There isn't much to tell. They say someone's been abducting humans, but that's about all."

Shinichi hid his disappointment behind a sip of blue tea.

"Although," Shiho continued, turning back to the window. "I would suggest you look for a snake and a spider. It's not often Great Houses mingle. It always means something major is about to boil over. Of course, usually it's a battle."

Shinichi tucked the new information away in the back of his mind and thanked the girl before excusing himself. He had no idea who she meant, but he was fairly certain Kaito would know.

* * *

 **TBC**


	17. Trail

Disclaimer: I don't own the DCMK characters.

* * *

 **Moon Over Eventide**

17: Trail

Shinichi spotted Kaito near the pile of birthday gifts. The magician was in the middle of greeting two new arrivals, so he hung back until they were done. Then the two black-clad newcomers headed for the banquet tables, and Kaito made a beeline back towards Shinichi.

"Man, those two attend parties with the same faces they'd bring to funerals," he said the moment he reached the detective. "The one with the silver hair is Gin, by the way. And the short, stocky one is Vodka. They're both from the Burning Ash. And they both wreak of portal magic."

Shinichi wrinkled his nose. "Gin and Vodka? And Bourbon too. Why is everyone from that House named after some kind of alcoholic drink?"

Kaito looked at him then burst out laughing. "That, my dear, is what happens when your head of house goes to the human world for a taste testing and comes back with an obsession. Anyone from the Burning Ash who doesn't have a name of that breed was born before he took that trip. Though I imagine he has to run out of drink names to use sooner or later."

"Oh." That was certainly logical in a totally weird way. It seemed demons and humans were more alike than they might like to think they were, he mused. In both worlds, there were those who feared, disliked, and scorned things that were different and foreign and those who lauded, loved, and wanted all that was foreign and exotic. Go figure.

"So how did your talk with Shiho go?" Kaito asked, refilling Shinichi's cup of screaming tree tea.

"I don't think she's the culprit," the detective replied without hesitation. "Though I get the feeling she might know something. She told me that we should be consulting the spider and the snake, or something like that. And she said that, when Great Houses mingle, it means bad things are about to happen. Or so I gathered anyway. Do you have any idea who she might mean?"

Kaito mulled over Shiho's suggestions for a moment before replying.

"I might," he said carefully. "There is a man from the House of the Seventh Mist who likes to go by the name Spider because his real name is the same as his father's and his grandfather's. Since both the father and grandfather are still around, you can imagine the confusion. So he chose Spider to be his use name."

"The House of the Seventh Mist?"

"That would be the last of our five Great Houses. They're not a very powerful house, actually. They used to be incredible warriors, but most of their recent generations have been…lacking in magical prowess. Spider's one of their best, but he's really only good at illusions. There are those who say they no longer qualify to be a Great House."

"Is that a big problem?" Shinichi asked. In most human societies, even poor royalty was still royalty.

Kaito mulled this over then shrugged. "Can't say for sure. It's never happened before. The Great Houses weren't chosen or elected or anything. We became the Great Houses because we had the most power, and, when you have power, people respect you. That was in the days when everyone was always fighting with everyone else. Anyway, when the fighting ended, the most powerful clans were named Great Houses because, well, they'd already shown just how incredible they were, and it was believed that with their raw power at the top, the world could settle down and normal people could start living normal lives again. The House systems sort of evolved after that based on the Great House members that different people were inspired by or wanted to work for. It goes on. I'll tell you more about it some other day when we have time. Today, I say the only thing we need to remember is that this could be a man with a motive to find the Source. If he could find it, he could instantly increase the power held by his House as well as bolster his own reputation."

"So we have a suspect and a motive," Shinichi murmured, hand rising to his chin. "What about the snake ? Do you know who she might have meant?"

"Snake…" Kaito mulled the name over for several minutes during which Shinichi returned to communing with his coffee substitute. Once he got over the screaming trees part of the story, he decided he did like this tea after all.

"I got it!" Kaito's sudden exclamation made Shinichi jump. He nearly dropped his cup. Annoyed, he turned back to Kaito. "What now?"

"Snake. I think I might know who that is too. He's one of the younger ones from the Burning Ash. He likes to try and show up my dad every time there's any kind of contest. He's never won so far, but he's persistent."

"Which would mean he too has a motive," Shinichi murmured. "Both of them would be interested in power."

Kaito coughed lightly. "To be perfectly honest, about ninety nine percent of the beings in this room would be interested in the Source."

"What about you?"

"Well~, you gotta admit, it offers intriguing prospects. Don't look at me like that. You'd be interested too if you knew just what you could do with power like that! But not many of us would stoop to going so far as to kidnap humans to try to find the Source for us. That's breaking some serious laws."

"I didn't realize your people had serious laws. It was starting to sound like whatever you could get away with was legal."

"My dear Shin-chan, you wound me. Of course we have laws we care about."

Shinichi made a noncommittal noise in his throat then changed the subject. "So what are we going to do? Those two have the motive and the power, right? Is there some kind of search warrant system here? Or a way to question them?"

"Only if you want to fight," the magician replied with a light laugh. Personally, the detective couldn't see the humor. "What we really need is proof. If we can prove they've been kidnapping humans then they will have to stand before a court appointed by the heads of the great Houses."

"What kind of evidence do demon courts need?"

"Finding the kidnap victims would be a good start. Which is where you come in. Walk by those two and see if your watch reacts at all. If it does, it may mean that one of them has recently been near Miss Kazuha."

"There's nothing over there. They'll notice if I just wander by."

"I guess you have a point." Kaito pondered the matter for a moment then grinned. He picked up Shinichi's hand and bowed over it. "Would you honor me with this dance, my dear?"

Shinichi blushed. "What?"

"If we circle the dance floor, we'll pass right by them, and we won't be doing anything that loads of other people aren't doing already."

"O—oh." It made sense. Shinichi glanced down at the empty cup still in his hands then turned in search of somewhere to put it. Before he could, Kaito snapped his fingers, and the cup vanished in a puff of smoke. The detective rolled his eyes at the display, but he didn't comment as he let Kaito guide him onto the dance floor. He felt a little self conscious, but having the task at hand to focus on kept him from thinking too much about the hand on his hip or how close they were.

On his wrist, the silver leaf revolved upon the face of his watch. It spun first clockwise then counterclockwise before reversing once again. Sometimes, it would spin a full three hundred and sixty degrees, at others it teetered like a daruma doll that just couldn't settle down. There was no discernable pattern to all the swiveling, which he supposed meant it had yet to pick anything up.

"We're almost there," Kaito murmured into his ear, making Shinichi shiver. "Remember, you have to focus on Toyama-san."

Oh, right. He'd forgotten about that. Shinichi closed his eyes for a moment, conjuring an image of Kazuha in his mind. Then he opened his eyes again and fixed his gaze on the silver leaf.

For a moment, it continued its aimless rotations. But then the leaf seemed to shudder like it had experienced a sudden, brisk gust of wind. The tip wiggled then tilted to the left and stayed there. Blue eyes followed the pointing leaf to the two men still talking off on the outskirts of the party.

Shinichi's heart leapt. "It's them."

Kaito didn't look. He simply nodded. "Well, now that we know who our quarry is, we can relax. By the by, you may wish to stop staring."

Shinichi tore his gaze from their suspects. "Aren't we supposed to talk to them?"

"With those two, that'll just be suspicious. I say we follow them later and see what we can find. Now," he continued, drawing Shinichi closer as the music slowed. "You promised me a dance."

Shinichi could feel his blush resurfacing as he was once more reminded of their close proximity. Blue eyes locked with indigo, and, for a moment, the rest of the world disappeared. His heart rate picked up. He wasn't nervous though, he realized. He was…happy.

 **TBC**

* * *

 **A.N** : Kind of a short chapter, sorry. I just have a lot on my plate right now. Take care!


	18. The Spider and the Snake

Disclaimer: I don't own the DCMK characters.

* * *

 **Moon Over Eventide**

18: The Spider and the Snake

The party was winding down. Most of the guests had left, though Lord Mathus and Aoko's father, along with a few other big names, had retired to another, smaller room for casual and not so casual discussions of current affairs. Most of the dancers had left the floor, though there was still a pair of young women with butterfly wings waltzing about in elegant dresses that made it look like they were flying to the music.

Kaito, however, had declined an invitation to join them and dragged Shinichi out onto a balcony that had seemingly appeared out of nowhere the moment the magician wanted it. Their new vantage point provided them with a quiet corner from which to watch the cherry blossoms reflected in the lake. It also gave them a splendid view of the parties that had chosen to depart.

Among those were the carriages of their targets. Conveniently—and suspiciously—the two demons in question had climbed into the same black carriage being drawn by a pair of black stags.

"Well that's not something you see every day," Kaito murmured. "Members of different Great Houses riding in the same carriage? They might have just made history."

"Can we follow them?" Shinichi asked, watching as the black carriage rolled out through the castle gates.

"Yes, but we'll have to be careful. If they notice they're being followed, they'll likely change course."

"What did you have in mind then?"

Kaito looked up. He gave no visible signal, but, a moment later, there was a flurry of feathery wings. Touga alighted next to them, instantly reducing what had been a spacious balcony to a cramped one.

Shinichi gave the white dove a dubious look before turning to Kaito, only to see that the magician had unfurled his own wings

"I would carry you myself, but I may need my hands if things go south and we have to fight," the demon said, misinterpreting Shinichi's look.

"I know. But his feathers are white. And he's…" Shinichi waved a hand at the bird's massive bulk. "Kind of big for tailing someone, don't you think?"

Kaito chuckled. Raising a hand, he snapped his fingers at the dove. In seconds, its snowy white plumage faded to an ebony black.

Touga fluffed out his feathers and burbled indignantly, but Kaito silenced the bird with a look. "It's for your own protection. If there's any sign of trouble, you'll make sure Shinichi gets back here safely. Understood?"

The dove bobbed its head.

"One more thing." Stepping forward, Kaito reached up to tap the dove on the head. For a fleeting instant, its large, dark eyes flickered green before settling back into black. Then Kaito turned to Shinichi. With a faint, amused quirk to his lips, he flicked Shinichi on the forehead. The detective drew in a sharp breath as a strange heat flared in his eyes. He squeezed them shut on impulse. It felt like he had a very hot towel pressed against the insides of his eyelids. It wasn't painful, but it wasn't exactly comfortable either.

The sensation lasted for only a second or two. Then it was gone. Slowly, Shinichi opened his eyes again, not sure what to expect. What he found made him inhale sharply.

The darkness of the night had thinned. It wasn't like the sun had risen off schedule. There was no more light now than there had been a moment ago. But the darkness wasn't hiding nearly as much from his gaze now. He could simply see right through it.

"It's a night vision spell," Kaito explained. "It'll last for eight hours. It should also enhance your vision. You'll see like an owl until it wears off. This way, we can keep our distance but still see what they're up to."

"And you?"

"I don't need it," he boasted, indigo eyes luminous in the night's velvet shadows. Looking into those eyes, Shinichi knew abruptly with a certainty he couldn't put into words that those were not human eyes. It was a little disconcerting.

"Are you scared?"

Coming out of his daze, Shinichi frowned, wondering what Kaito was talking about. "No. I'm worried what they might be doing to their captives. No one around here who's talked about it have sounded very optimistic."

"I'm not going to lie and say I know they're fine," the magician said seriously. "But I promise you that I will do everything within my power to save them."

Shinichi nodded slowly and let the magician help him up onto Touga's broad, feathery back. Then the magician was leaping over the balcony rails. Black wings caught the wind, barely visible in the night as anything more than a flicker of motion. The dove took off after its master with a great deal less dramatic flare. A single large feather drifted back down onto the balcony in their wake. Its color, as it descended, grew paler and paler until it landed, now once again as white as new fallen snow.

If it hadn't been for the severity of their mission, the flight would have been nothing short of magical. Here, in this world without city lights and traffic, the night was a pure and dazzling realm where all was edged in starlight and the moon danced in silver ripples down the rivers and across the lakes. Shinichi found himself searching the landscape for signs of towns or, failing that, houses—perhaps other castles even. But he saw only wilderness through which the black carriage with its pair of stags meandered, following a road only they seemed to know for there were no roads that Shinichi could see even with his magically enhanced vision.

The area around the Kuroba's castle had been lightly forested and a little mountainous, but in an open, hiker's dream kind of way.

The forest they were flying over now, however, was somewhat less welcoming. It was a dark, tangled mess. Their canopies shivered dark green and gray in the starlight, casting pitch black curtains over all that lay beneath. The land itself grew more and more rugged as it tilted and began to rise. Then the ground to one side fell away in massive, rocky echelons, disappearing into a gorge so deep that it appeared to have no bottom.

Here, the carriage stopped.

Two men climbed out. One was stout and wore a dark fedora. He was almost invisible because of the drab colors of his clothes. The other was taller and blond. His clothes looked more to Shinichi like something from the human world: a custom-tailored suit for Vegas, perhaps, with gold trimmings and vivid colors. They made one strange pair as they headed away from the gorge on foot. Their path meandered through the mountains and eventually into a ravine walled by towering cliffs.

Kaito landed on a ledge overlooking the ravine, waving Touga down beside him. Below, their quarry halted at the end of the ravine before what Shinichi initially took to be nothing more than yet another mountainside. Upon closer inspection, however, he could see that the spreading mass at the top of the cliff was a jumble of branches.

"Is that a tree?" he whispered, eyes wide in awe. The tree, if that was indeed what it was, could have easily passed for a mountain in its own right.

"It is," Kaito murmured back. "It wasn't like this before though."

"You know this place?"

"I came here once with Dad a long time ago. But the whole thing was petrified back then. Those leaves… They're definitely alive. But how?"

The two fell silent as voices drifted up from below.

"Open the damned door already," Snake snarled at his companion, glaring up at the massive tree.

His companion ignored him. Stepping forward, he bowed to the tree.

"Great one, we seek passage. Will you grant it?"

"I am the one who reaches the sky, and I am the one whose roots have sunk deep into the heart of the world," a voice whispered back. Though soft, it filled the entirety of the ravine. It rasped like a thousand dry leaves shaking in the wind.

"Who are you to demand that I grant you safe passage?"

"I am the one who woke you from your slumber. And I am here as the heir to your legacy."

There was a long pause. Then the base of the tree trunk cracked. The crack ran from the ground all the way up to about twenty feet up the trunk. An eerie, greenish light seeped through it to send hazy, moss-colored shadows crawling across the rugged ground.

Slowly, like an egg beginning to hatch, the crack widened. Wood groaned and shifted. Then they were looking into a raggedy triangle of golden green mist.

Spider and Snake immediately headed inside.

Kaito caught Shinichi's arm and pulled him off of Touga's back. "Touga, tell Dad where we are." That was all the warning Shinichi had before he was literally carried off the edge of the cliff. Luckily, he kept enough of his wits about him to swallow the instinctive scream. Instead, he clung to Kaito as they plunged earthward.

They dove through the opening in the tree trunk just as it closed.

Their cover was almost blown right then and there because the floor fell away just inside the doorway to go spiraling down as a steep flight of stairs. Kaito's wings swept forward as he fought with gravity and almost lost. Then they were rocking back onto firmer ground. Both he and Shinichi let out silent breaths of relief, and the demon set the detective down gently. There was barely enough room for the both of them on the top step. Pressed back against the door-turned-wall, they held their breaths, gazes trained on the two figures making their way down the spiral. If either of the two chanced to look up, there was no way they could fail to see the intruders. Fortunately, neither did.

The demon and the detective waited until their quarry was out of sight before peeling themselves off the wall.

"I'm going to cast a concealing charm on us," Kaito whispered, breath tickling Shinichi's ear. "Spider's a master illusionist though, so he'll be able to detect our presence if we're not careful. Avoid standing directly in his line of sight."

Shinichi nodded and waited as Kaito chanted strange words under his breath. When he finished, the air around them shimmered for a moment like they were standing in the middle of a heat haze. But then the shimmer was gone, and everything looked just as it had before.

"Is it working?" Shinichi asked, glancing down at his own hands then over at Kaito. He could see the both perfectly.

"It's done," Kaito replied. "We are in the same spell, so we can see each other as we normally would. Other people looking at us will find their eyes sliding off, and their minds will not record what was passed over."

"So it's not so much a camouflage as a distraction spell."

Kaito chuckled. "Indeed. This spell doesn't conceal sounds though, so be careful when you speak."

They set a few quick codes and plans of escape before proceeding down the spiral staircase.

Shinichi wasn't sure what he had expected from the inside of a tree. A lot more wood, perhaps, and in that regard he would have been right. But he had not expected this palatial laboratory.

The spiral staircase had led them down, down, down into a massive, underground chamber lit by large, amber crystals and pillars radiating a warm, organic light. Though open, the cavernous room was divided roughly into four quadrants, all of which could be seen from above by anyone standing on the stairs.

The first quadrant contained rows of tables and chairs at which demons were busy sorting through piles of yellowed scrolls and leather-bound tomes. The next quadrant sported a large, golden tub situated beside one of the thickest of the amber pillars. Viscous, honey-colored liquid was oozing out of a crack in the pillar to drip into that tub. The third quarter was lined with stone benches. At one end, a dais stood empty. It was likely a place for presentation.

It was in the last quadrant that they finally saw what they had come to find.

There sat two dozen crystal pods surrounded by demons with mirrors. Inside each pod lay a human figure. Men, women, and children: all lay perfectly still, submerged in amber sap.

"What are…" Shinichi started, but he couldn't finish the sentence as he noticed that the child in the nearest pod wasn't breathing. But of course she wasn't, he berated himself. She'd be drowning.

Kaito's hands closed on his shoulders from behind. "Don't worry. They're not dead."

"Kai, _they're not breathing_."

"I know. But their life energy is still strong. You should be able to feel it if you try."

Shinichi considered telling Kaito that he didn't even know what that meant, but he refrained. He had to trust that Kaito knew what he was talking about. As long as those people were alive, there was hope.

"Would you be able to transport them out of here with your magic?" he asked, recalling the ease with which Kaito had conjured and dismissed furniture and other objects to and from their dormitory room.

Kaito was silent for a moment. Eventually, he shook his head. "Sorry. This place has powerful barriers. I could force my way through, but I'd only be able to take one or two people with me at a time."

That certainly wouldn't do. Even if they managed to rescue one or two kidnap victims, they would be alerting the enemy to their presence. A second trip would be considerably more difficult. Any more than that was unthinkable. It had to be all or none.

Shinichi bit his lip, fists clenched tight as he struggled to find a solution. He felt like someone trying to write on water. He had only barely begun to understand that there was real magic in the world. Where was he even supposed to begin making a plan? He was so out of his depth it wasn't funny, but he couldn't allow himself to give up because he'd made a promise to himself and to Hattori that he would get Kazuha and all the other kidnap victims home again.

"I think I know what they're doing," Kaito said suddenly, dragging Shinichi out of his mildly depressed panic. "They're spirit traveling. Or being forced to anyway."

Shinichi stared at him, thoughts momentarily derailed. "What?"

"I told you Dad brought me to visit this tree before. That's because it's a one of a kind. It's known as the Millennial Tree. Millennial Amber has powerful preservative properties when used in spell work. But they've got the fresh stuff. That's why those humans aren't suffocating. They should be, but, instead, the power of the sap is keeping them sort of suspended in time."

The news sent a jolt of anger through Shinichi. "Why?" What was the point of such cruelty?

Indigo eyes darkened. "Souls become less firmly attached to their bodies when those bodies are near death. Do you see those mirrors? Those are for scrying. The Burning Ash developed several spells for manipulating souls, including a few that let them look through the eyes of others. Snake's no expert, but he'd have the knowledge. It would explain how he got let in on this project when he's never been all that skilled at, well, anything."

"Does that mean the kidnap victims will die if we take them out of the sap?" Shinichi asked, concern spiking at the prospect of yet another problem on their already long list.

Kaito offered him a reassuring smile. "No, they should be fine. They're basically in stasis while in contact with the sap. And once they're out, there'll be air to breathe."

"I guess that's one piece of good luck at least."

A sudden commotion below drew both their attention to the portion of the lab containing the small stage. There, a woman with dragonfly wings and a pair of green antennae rising from amidst her mane of equally green hair was levitating another, much larger version of the scrying mirrors onto the stage. Spider and Snake strode after her, parking themselves before the mirror in a manner reminiscent of company bosses expecting a presentation from their underlings. The dragonfly woman fussed over the mirror for a moment longer before she turned and bowed deeply to the two demon nobles. From their perch overhead, even Kaito couldn't hear what the three were saying, but both he and Shinichi could see the mirror's silver surface fogging over.

The fog thickened to the point where the mirror looked like it had been whitewashed. Then, abruptly, the fog faded, revealing a shifting stream of images that flitted past too quickly to make any sense. Although, considering how intently Spider and Snake were staring into the mirror, maybe it was only nonsense to the intruders because they did not have whatever prior knowledge and experiences these people had gained from their research.

For the first few minutes, the dragonfly woman gesticulated as she spoke, pointing out details in the visual stream for her lords' benefit. But eventually she stepped aside and let the two men watch and discuss the images in private.

It was Shinichi who noticed it first. He grabbed Kaito's arm.

"What?" Kaito whispered, not taking his eyes off of Spider where the man stood with his hands folded behind his back like he had all the time in the world.

"The video they're watching is looping," Shinichi said. "It's starting over for the third time just now."

Kaito stiffened. A loop of the images could mean many things. It could mean that that particular set of images had been deemed worthy of further study. Or it could mean…

"Shinichi," he said in a voice so quiet that the detective could barely hear him at all. "Let's retreat."

The detective didn't argue. He had drawn a similar conclusion.

Cautious, the two withdrew from the edge of the stairs.

"Leaving so soon?"

Spider smiled down the length of the long, silver blade he had leveled at Shinichi's throat. The tip of the blade was resting just above his collarbones, pressing into the soft skin almost deep enough to draw blood. Behind him stood half a dozen armed men, a few of whom Shinichi was surprised to find he recognized. They had been among the kidnappers he and Kaito had seen in the shopping district.

Kaito let out a growl that didn't sound human to Shinichi.

"If you do not lower your blade, I will assume you are challenging me," the magician warned. His tone was calm, but that somehow only managed to sharpen his words.

Spider's blade withdrew, and he stepped back, but his stance remained poised at the ready. Kaito and Shinichi straightened. The latter cast a quick glance down at the stage to see that the blond demon was still down there. An illusion then. So their suspicions had been correct. If only they had noticed sooner.

"There is no need for such hostility, I'm sure," the blond demon said smoothly, though his smile didn't reach his eyes. "So tell me, to what do I owe the honor of a visit from the heir to the Phantom Moon?"

Kaito shrugged, affecting an air of nonchalance. "The Millennial Tree is a historical landmark. I merely wished to show it to Shinichi here. Funny thing is, I was always told this tree had died. So when we saw that that was not the case, it was only natural to investigate."

"I see. Well, as you must have realized by now, this tree is very much alive. Such a great tree can never truly die."

Kaito nodded sagely. "By the way, I am sure you know that it is forbidden to claim any part of the remnants of the old empire for private use."

"Of course," Spider agreed, tone just as amiable. "But this tree can hardly be considered a remnant of the empire. It is, after all, a living thing."

By now, the tension in the air was so thick that it was suffocating. The guards standing behind Spider looked from one demon noble to the other and back like the spectators of a particularly high stakes tennis match. Shinichi found himself edging to the side and back so as to be out of the direct line of fire. The two were speaking civilly, but something about the way they were both smiling gave him the impression that blows were imminent.

"The tree is a great symbol of the empire. It was the emblem of the old emperor's family. And it is said to be attached to many of the old ruins. Considering that, it would be difficult to argue that it is not a remnant of the empire."

"But it has grown far beyond what it was when it stood in the empire. Most of it no longer falls within the boundaries of the ruins."

"Fair enough," Kaito conceded. "But by what right do you claim this tree for the Seventh Mist? It is an incredible resource with great historical significance. Such a treasure cannot simply be claimed by anyone who stumbles over it."

"The Great Houses must convene and four of the five must endorse the claim," Spider replied. "I have not forgotten. But, as you can see, we are a few Houses short. And besides, I do not intend to be here forever. I will vacate the premises as soon as my research is done. In the meantime, you cannot demand that I abandon a facility I have put so much time and effort into. My work belongs to me."

"The lab does," Kaito said, tone taking an abrupt turn into the cold and sharp. "But not the humans you've kidnapped. Without the consent of all the Great Houses, humans cannot be brought to our world by force."

"This is a private matter of great importance. Therefore, it does not concern the rest of you. That is how the law stands."

"That's not a law, it's a courtesy. One that can be challenged," Kaito snapped. Now, finally, that thin veneer of politeness the two demons had been affecting began to splinter.

"So we do this by trial." Spider's eyes were cold. "It is your right to challenge. But what are the stakes?"

"If I win, you release all the humans you have kidnapped into my custody and swear never to abduct another human again."

"I suppose I can consider it. But you realize you are demanding that I abandon my work half finished. That is a hefty price. What would I get if I win?"

"Shinichi and I will leave now and never return to this lab. Nor will I report you."

Spider laughed. "No. That is a pittance compared to what I must pay. Stakes should be fair. I propose that, should I win, then I get to keep your pet. His aura is strong. He should be useful."

Shinichi bristled. He did not like being referred to as a pet, and he liked even less the way this man spoke like they were discussing the weather as opposed to the fates of real people.

But Kaito spoke before Shinichi could. The magician's face had settled into a smiling mask that sent chills up the spines of everyone present.

"Shinichi is not a pet," he said quietly in a tone that made the other demons in the room flinch. "But he is mine. Lay a hand on him and I will make sure you suffer for it every day from now until the end of time."

Dead silence.

"My apologies," Spider said finally, bowing. "I meant no disrespect. Then I request the Chronicles of the Painted Spring. The Phantom Moon has the only complete copy. It contains information that would be very valuable to my work."

Kaito considered the proposition for a moment then nodded stiffly. "I accept your terms."

"Then let us relocate to a more suitable venue."

Sheathing his sword, Spider headed down the stairs. Kaito and Shinichi traded glances before following. The six armed guards drew up the rear.

When they reached the stage, Snake turned around, spotted Spider, jerked back to look at the Spider he'd been standing next to, cursed, opened his mouth to berate his partner in crime for the deception—and froze at the sight of Kaito.

"You!" he snarled. "How did a Kuroba get in here?"

"Through the front door," Kaito shot back, throwing the man a jaunty wave. "Now be a good little belly crawler and clear out of the way, would you? We'd hate to step on you by accident."

The stocky man's eyes nearly bugged out of his head. He looked like he was about to launch himself at the magician, but he refrained with a visible effort.

"What is the meaning of this?" he growled at Spider.

"A challenge," the blonde replied curtly. Nyfna, set the stage for us."

The dragonfly woman bowed deeply then moved to begin clearing away the benches before the dais.

Spider turned back to Kaito. "As you issued the challenge, it is my right to choose the method."

"Go ahead."

The blonde snapped his fingers, producing two golden spheres. "Then this is the challenge."

* * *

 **TBC**


	19. Tricksters

Disclaimer: I don't own the DCMK characters.

* * *

 **Moon Over Eventide**

19: Tricksters

"This will be a contest of skill. Here." Spider tossed one of his two golden spheres at Kaito.

The magician caught it easily. Its smooth surface was cool to the touch. It felt like glass. And, if the light weight was anything to go by, the sphere was hollow.

"As you have no doubt discerned, these spheres are very fragile. Nothing but ordinary, colored glass. The objective of the challenge is simple. The one whose sphere breaks first will lose."

"And the rules?"

"As I said, this is a test of skill. After all, brute strength is such a boorish way to claim victory. And a mere test of power would no doubt place me at a disadvantage." The contemptuous way he enunciated those words made it clear that he was not trying to express any kind of humility. Kaito recognized the insult, indirect as it was, but he didn't rise to the bait. He was confident enough in his own skills not to be bothered when someone else tried to belittle them.

"So here are some ground rules," the blonde continued. "First of all, you cannot use magic to reinforce, weaken, or alter a sphere in any way. You may not protect it with barriers or remove it from within this arena. It must stay within arm's reach of your person, though you may move your own sphere with a spell so long as it never leaves this dimension." He swept a hand out. Instantly, tiny blue lights flickered to life, outlining a rectangular field roughly thirty paces across and forty paces long. "If you leave this arena yourself, you forfeit the match. If you fly, you also forfeit. And if you draw blood, you will be disqualified."

"So what kind of magic is allowed?"

"You may use any spell you like so long as it does not contradict any of the rules I have stated. For example, you might throw a lightning bolt at my sphere, and I might levitate it out of the way. But if your lightning scores my hand and draws blood then you will be disqualified. Control is the key. To perfectly control your spells not only while you're casting them but also once they've left your hands—that is true mastery. So, Kuroba Kaito, are the terms of my challenge acceptable?"

Kaito didn't take long to think. "Yes. So when do we begin?"

Spider glanced around. His gaze landed on Shinichi. The detective stiffened under the mans' cold, dispassionate stare.

"You can call it," the blonde said in a tone that someone might use with a child. "But make sure you leave the stage as quickly as you can. Interference from outsiders render a challenge invalid."

Shinichi hesitated near the blue flames, looking from Kaito to Spider and back again.

"Just give us a count of three," the magician advised. "And leave the rest up to me."

Shinichi nodded. "Are you both ready?"

Kaito stood straighter, and Spider stopped smiling.

By now, everyone in the lab had gathered around to watch the proceedings. Not including the guards and Snake, Shinichi counted twenty one spectators.

"Yes," the two contestants said, eyes never leaving the golden spheres in their opponent's hands.

"Three, two, one. Begin!"

Light blazed. When Shinichi could see again, he stared. Spider's one golden sphere had multiplied. He now had twelve golden spheres. They were orbiting him like planets—or shooting stars, considering the speed at which they were traveling.

Kaito quirked an eyebrow at the display. "Impressively executed."

"Thank you. I'm honored to hear such praise from a Kuroba."

Faster than Shinichi's eye could follow, one of Spider's spheres shot forward, heading straight for the sphere Kaito still held loosely in his hands.

The magician smirked. With a flick of his wrist, he sent his golden orb rolling up his arm, causing the attack to miss its mark by millimeters. The projectile veered around for another attempt to smash Kaito's sphere, but said sphere rolled across Kaito's shoulders, down his other arm, and up to the tip of his fingers. Then he flicked it up into the air just as the projectile came whizzing around again. Hands now free, he caught the projectile.

There was a crunch and a tinkle of breaking glass. Fragments of gold spun through the air in a glittering spray.

Kaito's sphere fell back into his waiting hands.

What followed was the strangest duel Shinichi had ever seen.

No matter what Kaito was doing, that sphere just migrated, climbing rolling, and falling just where it had to be to stay out of the line of fire. It moved like it had a mind of its own, knowing exactly where to run and when to dodge. With his sphere this fending for itself, Kaito launched into a series of offensive strikes using lances made of violet light.

As a sphere boomeranged around Spider's shoulder, a violet lance speared it straight through the middle. But instead of breaking glass, the sphere shattered into a trillion tiny sparkles of light. The lights swirled together and once again became the sphere Kaito had destroyed.

Trailed by his shooting stars, the blonde charged at Kaito, whipping his silver rapier out of nowhere and stabbing straight through Kaito's sphere as it rolled across his right shoulder.

Rather than shattering, the ball parted before the blade like soft clay and stuck. When Spider yanked his sword back, it came away with a large and unsightly ball of clay attached to its tip that just would not come off.

The real sphere rolled up to sit on top of Kaito's head. If a featureless orb could look mocking, this one did.

Unprepared for the sudden weight at the end of his blade, Spider overbalanced. He recovered quickly, but not quite quickly enough.

Two of his shooting stars went flying out of the arena, where they proceeded to explode like miniature fireworks. Spider cursed and leapt back, throwing his compromised blade at Kaito as he did so.

The magician swatted the sword away. It landed outside the arena, point down due to the weight of the clay wrapped around it. The doughy lump made a squelching sound when it hit the ground and stuck, leaving the demon noble's rapier standing straight up as though it were on display.

Back in the arena, Kaito's sharp eyes caught the sudden reappearance of two of his opponent's flying spheres. The decoys were back sooner than he'd anticipated. Time for plan B.

Hopping back, he muttered a quick chant, inhaled deeply, then blew out a cloud of glittering, white smoke. It rolled across the arena in seconds, swallowing his opponent.

"Dream vapor? Really?" the blonde asked, mocking. "I suppose you _are_ still a child. As your elder, I suppose I should remind you that such spells have no power over anyone from a middle house or higher."

"Thank you for your advice then, Old Man," Kaito drawled. His gaze was focused entirely on the shooting stars orbiting his opponent's body. They were harder to see in the smoke, but the trails they left behind were a different story.

One, two—there were five trails in the smoke, he counted. The other streaks of light were light only, moving through the dream vapor like ghosts without form or substance. Kaito marked those out. The pattern was taking shape in his mind. Manipulating so many objects, even small ones, using magic to make them fly at such high speeds must take a lot of concentration. After all, a single collision and you'd have signed your own defeat. But if only half those objects were solid, the task became much more manageable. Not only that, but it would still be just as visually confusing for the opponent as it would be if all the spheres had been real. Less input for equal output. It was a pretty decent strategy, but it did have a major flaw.

Spider was so busy keeping all his spheres, decoys and all, under control and out of harm's way that he couldn't spare much thought for more complex attacks. And that, in turn, meant that Kaito knew when his opening would come.

The blond demon clapped his hands together then swept them apart. Five streaks of crimson light spiraled out from between his hands. Each beam shot away in a different direction before swerving to converge upon the sphere still sitting on top of Kaito's head. Kaito ducked, his eyes never leaving his opponent's flock of shooting stars. There was no particular logic to the routes they took in their flight for the most part—except when the blond demon needed to divert his attention to casting additional spells.

Kaito thrust his left hand out. Two dozen tiny shards of ice crystallized in the air before him. With a command, he sent them forth like a miniature hailstorm.

Banned from using barriers, Spider was forced to summon a wall of fire that sheeted up from the ground below to intercept the flying icicles. There was a loud hiss as the air filled with steam.

Kaito took several quick steps back as the heat and the steam rolled towards him in waves. His foot slipped unexpectedly on the now wet floor. He teetered.

Seeing his chance, Spider dropped the flame spell and launched a miniature lightning bolt at Kaito's sphere.

The crackling bolt of power flashed through the air so fast that Shinichi's eyes could barely follow its trajectory, but he didn't have to be able to track it to know where it was headed. For a moment, he felt worry spike in his chest. But then he saw the smile on Kaito's face, and his own anxiety died to be replaced by a large, fluffy breed of confusion.

Completely ignoring the lightning about to smash his golden sphere, Kaito held up his right hand and flicked his wrist five times. With each flick, something that resembled a silver needle flew from his hands, each headed straight for one of Spider's orbiting spheres.

There were five sharp pings. Then one sphere shattered. Its pieces rained in fragments of polished gold all over the stone floor.

Silence.

Bouncing the sphere off his head, Kaito let it roll down his arm then hop into his palm as he smiled at the silent Spider. The lightning bolt that would have smashed his charge earthed itself. "It looks like I win."

"So it does," the man replied, still the picture of calm.

"You almost fooled me there for a moment, you know. You certainly spared no effort making this look real."

"Pardon?"

The smile dropped from Kaito's face. "What do you take me for?"

Without warning, Kaito lunged, violet light blazing around his hands. He struck the blonde square in the chest before the surrounding spectators could even finish gasping.

Spider vanished.

Kaito turned back to face his audience of lab assistants, all of whom were wearing expressions of shock.

"Your lord has fled," he said, voice carrying to every corner of the lab. "By doing so, he has forfeited any right to contest the outcome of this challenge. Therefore, all the humans you have here are to be released. Wake them up and get them something to eat. We will be sending them home."

"But, Sir," one of the guards protested. "It's not easy to bring humans here. And our project is so close to completion. If you could just give us another week—"

"No," The single syllable cut through the murmurs, instantly putting an end to further protests. A long silence filled with uncertainty followed. Eventually, however, the lab staff shuffled to do as Kaito had ordered.

Shinichi moved quickly to help as each pod was opened up and the human inside was fished out. He was amazed and relieved to see that, though the victims hadn't been breathing while they were submerged, they immediately resumed taking deep breaths once they were free of the sap.

All around the lab, confused mutters could be heard. At the moment, however, the humans were still too groggy and confused to do more than blink blearily at their surroundings.

Shinichi brought a little girl to her mother and watched with a smile as the two embraced, relief supplanting the fearful uncertainty on their faces. Then he turned to the next and last pod.

Kazuha's still face looked strange. The girl was usually so energetic. The sight of her floating there like a corpse sent a cold shiver up Shinichi's spine even though he knew she was alive.

Lifting the curved lid off of the pod, Shinichi reached down into the cold, thick sap to grasp Kazuha's shoulders.

His fingers met no resistance. His hands simply sank right through Kazuha's shoulders.

Then the girl dissolved into a cloud of glittering lights that melted into nothingness within seconds.

Coming up behind Shinichi, Kaito cursed.

"Another illusion!"

* * *

 **TBC**


	20. The Ruined Path

Disclaimer: I don't own the DCMK characters.

* * *

 **Moon Over Eventide**

20: The Ruined Path

It was Shinichi who found the trapdoor. He had noticed that the base of the pod next to Kazuha's had not been fused to the floor like its fellows. Applying pressure on it from a particular angle caused it to swivel off of an intricate diagram etched into the floor which Kaito had identified as a locking spell. It took several minutes for the magician to unravel it, but, when he did, cracks appeared in the floor, outlining a trapdoor.

The stairwell was a pit of shadows that seemed to breathe darkness right up into the lab the moment the trapdoor had been lifted from on top of it. All the lights in the room seemed to dim in its presence. It smelled of dust and earth and age.

Kaito peered down the uneven steps then turned his gaze on the cowering lab assistant beside him. "This is the way they left?"

"Y—yes, milord. Most likely," Nyfna stammered. "It runs into the ruins of the old empire."

"I see." Straightening, Kaito looked across the lab to where Shinichi was doing his best to calm the scared and confused humans. His calm assurances that they would be all right seemed to be working. The children were no longer crying. Now, they mostly seemed to be waiting for Shinichi to tell them what to do next.

The detective caught Kaito's eye and nodded. Understanding the silent inquiry in those sapphire depths, Kaito strode across to the gathering of humans and offered them his most charming smile. The two teenage girls whose kidnapping he and Shinichi had witnessed not all that long ago blushed and smiled shyly back at him.

"I know this has been trying for everyone," he said. "Some people will be here soon to explain all of this to you." He waved a hand at the lab around them. "Then, when you're ready, we will help you all return to your homes. It may take time, but please be patient. We guarantee that none of you will be harmed."

Several of the humans glanced at Shinichi, but, when the detective nodded, they settled down to wait.

"My father will be here in less than half an hour," Kaito added, projecting his voice so that everyone in the lab would hear. "I recommend you think carefully about what you're going to say."

X

Cautious despite the urgency of the situation, Kaito and Shinichi descended the long, winding stairs beyond the trapdoor. They ventured deeper and deeper into the ancient, organic darkness of the roots of the Millennial Tree.

"The roots of this tree are said to run through all of the earth," Kaito murmured, guiding Shinichi around an odd wooden protrusion that resembled a stalactite. "They say it is the oldest tree in the world and that its roots reach into the heart of the planet itself while its boughs touch the heavens. I don't know if the crown can touch the heavens or not, but I can say that we have found portions of its roots in multiple locations across the globe. Most of those root systems were cut off from the main body though. They were basically dead. I didn't think the tree itself was still alive."

"What makes you think those roots were part of the same tree and not just the roots of a tree from the same species?"

"That's a good question. We don't know for sure, actually. But if there is more than one Millennial Tree, suffice to say that no one's ever seen the others."

"Are all the roots hollow inside?"

"Not all, but a lot are. It has something to do with the terrain and the climate at the time the roots first set down, I think. Though some people think the roots were cultivated like that by our ancestors."

"Is that possible?"

"No idea. Like I said, it's just a popular fairytale. I do know the tree was an important symbol back during the empire. The first emperor's palace was built around it. Even when the palace moved, everyone except those granted permission by the emperor were banned from setting foot on the land around the tree."

Their steps slowed to a halt as they came upon a fork in the root system. Before them lay four tunnel mouths. There was no sign of their quarry anywhere.

"This could be a problem," Kaito mused, looking from one tunnel to the next. They all looked pretty much the same. "Hey Shinichi, try your watch."

"Right." Raising his hand so that he could stare at the face of his watch, Shinichi concentrated on an image of Kazuha. The leaf revolved slowly counterclockwise, paused, then resumed rotating the other way. Gradually, the revolutions became faster and faster. Soon, the leaf was little more than a blur of silver beneath the hands of the watch.

Shinichi squeezed his eyes shut and pinched the bridge of his nose. He could still see the leaf spinning behind his eyelids, making him feel dizzy like the whole world should be spinning too. "I think it's confused."

"Certainly looks confused," Kaito agreed, eyeing the hyperactive leaf for a moment longer before turning his attention back to the tunnels. "Technically, it would probably be easier on our end to wait for backup. If we have a few teams to work with, searching this place would be easier."

"But…?"

"But it's likely Snake and Spider will find what they're looking for before we find them. They've been planning this for a while, and they've got copies of the maps from the main archives. With all that information they've gathered, chances are pretty high they already know where they should be looking, and they just need Kazuha to fine tune their search. We would have a lot more ground to cover and a lot less info to work with."

"I take it that that would be bad."

Kaito's expression was grim. "Well, the Burning Ash aren't known for keeping pets that are no longer useful. Spider's reputation with humans is even worse. He's the sort who enjoys tormenting people with mind games for fun. If you ask me, his House lost a lot of power these last few years not because of their weakening magic but because no one trusts them anymore."

Shinichi grimaced. They owed it to Heiji to bring Kazuha home unscathed. But how?

"I'm going to try an echolocation spell," Kaito told him before moving to stand at the center of the crossroad. Four tiny balls of light popped into existence at his fingertips. Then each zoomed away down a different tunnel.

Shinichi stood there for a minute or two, waiting. When Kaito didn't stir, however, the detective started to pace. He could hear his own heart beating in the silence. Every second that ticked by was another lost opportunity. He swore he could practically feel the distance between them and their quarry growing with every breath.

Inhaling deeply in an attempt to calm his jittering nerves, Shinichi moved to lean against the wall. He folded his arms and closed his eyes, willing himself to breathe slowly. He'd be no use to anyone if he wore himself out stressing now when they were right on the verge of success.

He let his head fall back against the wall. The wood was smooth and warm. It was hard to believe these tunnels were the insides of the roots of a tree. How long must it have taken for the tree to grow this large? A thousand years? A million? Or perhaps it was like the Kurobas' doves—a magical mutation that had evolved far beyond what nature had intended.

He could practically feel the energy in the wood. It pulsed against his back. And now that he was paying attention, even the air felt different. That tang of spice that clung to the atmosphere of this world was sharper here. Yet it couldn't hide the earthy undertones.

The tree itself was breathing, he thought. That power hummed in the air. It flowed down the halls and through the walls, spreading ever outward and away. It reached right down deep into the bedrock of the planet. It had touched the see and tasted the molten lava that bubbled up from below. And yet it lived on.

Kaito let out a frustrated breath. All four of his spells had returned, their colors unchanged. If they had encountered a demon aura, they should have returned crimson. Instead, they were all still white. Spider probably knew magic that could thwart search spells such as these.

He was trying to think of the best way to deliver the bad news when he saw Shinichi slumped against the wall. The detective's eyes were only partially open, and what Kaito could see of his gaze was unfocused.

The magician's concern spiked. "Shinichi? What's the matter? Are you feeling ill?"

Slowly, blue eyes lifted to meet his gaze.

"No," Shinichi murmured, distracted. "I…"

"What?" Kaito pressed. His detective looked like someone in a trance, and Kaito didn't like it.

"Hey Kaito," Shinichi began after another long pause that did not make Kaito feel any more reassured. "The Source. You said it was in the ruins of the old empire."

"I did," he agreed, wondering where this was headed.

"And you said this tree was important to the empire."

"Yeah. It was a symbol of the emperor's family. A one of a kind tree that connects heaven to earth. They had its image on their crest and everything."

"So the tree has a long history of being associated with the empire's royal family."

"That's right."

"What were they like? The royal family, I mean."

Kaito blinked. "I have no idea. It was a long time ago. They say some of the Great Houses might be descended from the emperor's bloodline, but it's all mere speculation. Why do you ask?"

Shinichi drew in another breath then straightened. He staggered a step when he tried to leave the support of the wall, but Kaito caught him.

Under other circumstances, Kaito might have teased Shinichi about falling into his arms, but today he let it slide.

"What's wrong?" he demanded.

To his confusion, Shinichi smiled. "I'm all right. I'll be fine," the boy insisted. He straightened quickly and smoothed the wrinkles from his clothes. "We can't track Kazuha."

Kaito winced. "Sorry."

"It's okay. We don't have to track her."

"Pardon? I never thought I'd hear the day you suggested abandoning anyone to the mercy of potential crazies."

Shinichi ignored him. "The Source. That's where they're headed. If we find that then they'll bring Kazuha to us."

"It's a good plan," Kaito began, "with one major flaw. People have been searching for the Source for a very, very long time, and no one's ever found it. We have no idea where it is."

"I know where we can look."

Kaito raised an eyebrow. "Well that was sudden. Did you find a clue when I wasn't looking?"

Shinichi hesitated. "It's…a little hard to explain. But I was thinking. You said yourself that this tree was considered extremely important in the old days. If the reason for the major differences between your world and mine all stem from the influence that magic has on the way things develop then this tree should be no exception. If magic can make regular doves grow into the kinds of birds you have then maybe it can also give a tree the power to grow throughout the earth like you said this one does."

"Yes?" Kaito prompted. "That's not really news."

"No, but it sounded to me like magic wasn't as widespread back in the days of the empire as it is now. Is that correct?"

Kaito mulled the question over then nodded. "It's something historians are still researching, but it's generally agreed that our people were still much more human back then: shorter life spans, less diversity in shape, and a lot more reliant on mundane tools. The empire itself was believed to have been born when a handful of people first learned to truly harness the magic in this world."

Shinichi nodded, a triumphant gleam in his eyes. "And if that's true, it stands to reason that they would want to stay close to the source of their power."

"I see what you're getting at, but I'm pretty sure this tree is not the Source. That theory's been tested before."

"I realize that. What I meant to say was that, well, what if this tree is what led them to the Source to begin with? It would explain why they would build their palace around it."

"I suppose it's possible," the demon said slowly. "Prolonged exposure to a great deal of powerful, raw magic could definitely lead to the birth of an organism this unique. But considering the sheer size of this tree, it doesn't exactly narrow down our search. We still only know that the Source is somewhere in the old empire's capital, likely somewhere that the roots can reach. Which would be a lot more helpful if the roots didn't reach pretty much everywhere on earth."

"That's the part I'm not sure how to explain." Shinichi shifted his weight to his other foot, beginning to look uncomfortable. "Just now, when I closed my eyes for a moment to rest and think, I…felt something."

Kaito didn't look as surprised or skeptical as Shinichi felt he should. "What was it?"

"It's like a…a current," the detective ventured, waving a hand at the air as though he might be able to pull answers out of it. "Like water or wind but not. It feels like when your eyes are closed but you know people are walking past you. But it's not people, it's a river flowing through the roots and up into the tree."

"It sounds to me like you're sensing the tree's life force," Kaito said, tone completely serious. "It's a branch of divination: reading and tracing the energy of living things."

Shinichi shrugged. He didn't know anything about the terminology, and he wasn't entirely comfortable with calling it divination—that just sounded so mystical as to be fake. But it didn't matter as long as Kaito understood what he was talking about.

"But not all of it's the same," he told the magician, this time earning himself a surprised quirk of the brows. "Some of it feels the way you do when you're showing your wings."

Understanding lit in indigo eyes. "So you're saying it feels like magic."

"That was my guess. So all we have to do is follow it."

"That works for me. I'll leave a message here for our backup."

He snapped his fingers, producing a sheaf of white paper that glowed like a sheaf of moonlight. Thin lines of black ink traced themselves across the paper as Kaito talked, speaking in a tongue Shinichi couldn't understand. When he was done, the paper collapsed inward upon itself until it took on the shape of a small, white flower. The flower attached itself to the wall of the root tunnel, surrounded by a halo of silver light.

"There." A shark's grin stretched itself across Kaito's face as his eyes hardened, becoming the eyes of a hunter. "Let's go."

Together, they set off down the path Shinichi had chosen, their steps light and quick.

* * *

 **TBC**


	21. City of Ancients

Disclaimer: I don't own the DCMK characters.

* * *

 **Moon Over Eventide**

21: City of Ancients

Where was she?

Kazuha blinked slowly. She felt like she was adrift on a hazy sea. She couldn't feel her body, and even her thoughts were shapeless and distant.

 _"Follow the light."_

The words echoed in her head. They alone were clear and crisp. But what were they talking about?

As soon as the question crossed her mind, she could see.

No, wait. She had been looking at it all along, but the sight had not registered until those words had drawn her attention to it.

She was surrounded by light. It was a rich, deep, honey-colored light that pulsed slow and even. That liquid light flowed past her, twisting through the darkness and off into the distance: a river of pure, liquid radiance.

The sight of it took her breath away. It was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. She felt like she could fall into it at any moment, and it would sweep her away into a realm of soft sunsets and endless, starry galaxies that would never, ever end.

 _"Do you see the light?"_

"Yes," she breathed, that one word so saturated with wonder that it slid over her tongue like silk and honey.

 _"Good,"_ the voice said again. And its approval made her feel pleased, like she had accomplished something. " _Follow it."_

And she did. She wasn't sure how. Was she walking? Flying? Swimming? Whatever the case, she was there in the light, experiencing its power and its warmth, and, really, she couldn't do anything but follow it.

What lay at the heart of its breathtaking pulse, she didn't know. All she knew was that it was calling out to her. She had to answer.

X

Neither Shinichi nor Kaito could say for sure how far down they had traveled or how long it had been since they had set out. The root system of the Millennial Tree didn't offer much in the way of landmarks. The fact that the roots twisted and turned, rising and falling and doubling back on themselves constantly, only added to the confusion.

They had gone so far down by now that Shinichi wouldn't have been surprised if they were below sea level. Not that there was any way to check. They were just beginning to wonder if they had made a mistake in choosing to walk this way when they saw light up ahead.

Their steps slowed to a more cautious pace.

The light was coming from an arched opening in the root's living wall. It was a soft, yellow green glow like sunlight shining through a forest canopy.

"It can't be morning already," Shinichi said with a frown.

"Maybe we've gone all the way through to the other side of the planet," Kaito suggested with a grin.

Shinichi rolled his eyes. "You can't honestly believe that."

"Hey, you never know. This is a magical tree after all." Despite his blithe manner, Kaito insisted that he be the first to step outside, a fireball cradled in one hand in case of danger.

"Whoa, Shin-chan, you've got to see this."

Taking the exclamation as an all clear, Shinichi stepped outside.

His breath caught in his throat.

They were standing on the outskirts of a sprawling city. Ornate buildings stood silent and empty along deserted streets, their dark windows like hollow eyes gazing yearningly into the past. Though a surprising number of buildings were intact, just as many had become entangled with the roots of the Millennial Tree. Manmade structures and living wood had twisted themselves together, shifting and evolving until they had become one. And above it all, a high, arching dome of what appeared to be a luminous moss filled the streets with false sunlight.

There was something hauntingly beautiful about the place, ruined though it was, Shinichi thought. The invading roots had preserved the place, wrapping it up in the tree's protective embrace and tucking it away here far from prying eyes.

"This architecture," Kaito murmured, indigo eyes drinking in the panorama before them. "It's definitely from the early empire. But I've never even heard of a piece of the ruins being found _inside_ the tree."

"It looks like the tree just grew over it somehow," said Shinichi. It sounded impossible, but the proof lay right there before their eyes.

"Man, even if we don't find the Source, this is an incredible discovery."

They spent another moment just gazing in wonder upon the empty city before Shinichi remembered that they had a job to do. "We should hurry."

"One moment." Kaito snapped his fingers. In a flash, his outfit changed, transforming into a white suit from the human world complete with a billowing cape.

Shinichi arched an eyebrow at the rather dramatic ensemble. It was a ridiculously bright white for wearing into 'battle', and it definitely wasn't going to have anything to do with stealth. But it was also so very Kaito that he had to smile.

"What's with the cape?" he asked.

"Capes are cool," the magician declared, looking rather proud of himself. "And besides, this is the land of our great, great ancestors. We should show them some respect by dressing for the part."

"And what part would that be?"

"The heroes here to rescue the fair maiden from her kidnappers and save the world, of course," Kaito quipped. "Would you like a cape? I can conjure one for you."

"…No thanks."

"You're missing out~."

Ignoring Kaito's antics, Shinichi made a beeline for the largest building in the ruins.

The closer they got to the building, the more obvious it became that it was a grand palace. Even Kaito had to pause and marvel at its majesty.

"People always did say that the palace in the ruins of the capital weren't as luxurious as you'd expect from a mighty empire," he mused. "I guess this means they had another palace all along. A much grander one here in this city. Can you imagine the kinds of treasure we might find in there?"

"We're not going inside. We're going around."

Bemused but having faith in his detective's blossoming senses, Kaito followed Shinichi around to the back of the palace where the remnants of the gardens lay.

It was an odd garden. It had been built in levels. The garden on the ground level sported a long dead lawn. At the far edge of it, a staircase fell away into a second garden then a third and on down. Each descending level became larger and more complex until they reached the floor of the seventh level, which was not a garden but a sprawling ballroom.

Kaito raised a hand. A ball of white light popped up above his palm. With a flick of his wrist, he sent the magical light high into the air where it hung like a miniature sun.

The walls were covered in dragons. Their golden scales and gemstone eyes gleamed in an eerie facsimile of life. The tiles on the ballroom floor formed a lovely mosaic depicting a peony blossom. Its luscious petals spiraled out from the center of the dance floor in a whirl of deep maroons and pale, pastel pinks.

"It looks like a dead end," Kaito said. His words echoed in the vast emptiness of the ballroom. "Maybe we took a wrong turn somewhere?"

The detective frowned. "Maybe… But the power we've been following is definitely directly below us."

"So either there's another way down or we have to start digging."

"There might be a hidden door somewhere," Shinichi suggested. "It's really close. I can feel it."

Kaito hummed in thought as he walked across the dance floor.

The architecture here was truly stunning. And the colors! The dry atmosphere and complete lack of sunlight had preserved every vivid shade. Talk about an amazing archeological find.

"Kai!"

Drawn from his admittedly distracted thoughts, Kaito found Shinichi standing at the very edge of the ballroom. He jogged over to join the detective.

"Did you find something?"

"Look." Turning, Shinichi pointed to the center of the floor. "The way it's shaded is strange."

Puzzled, Kaito looked. "Well, now that you mention it, the image does come across as a bit squashed in. A peony should poof out, but this one caves in like a bowl."

"Or a stairwell," Shinichi murmured, eyes widening.

Kaito considered the mosaic of petals for a minute longer then shrugged. "I guess I can see it. But we've been walking all over it. I'm pretty sure it's a flat floor. And there aren't any seams or locking spells."

Shinichi couldn't really argue with that. "It still seems like it has to have been intentional. Maybe if we follow it…" He began walking as he talked, circling the ballroom floor. Kaito followed close behind him, senses alert for any signs of danger. It struck the magician as strange that they had yet to catch up to their quarry—provided they really had gone the right way. If they didn't find Kazuha, they couldn't call this venture a true success.

So either the girl and her captors were still ahead of them or they had somehow managed to pass their quarry by and gotten ahead. There was also the possibility that Spider's group was taking a different route or that they had elected to flee with a hostage as protection and not to try and find the Source before they could be caught.

Turning his attention back to Shinichi, he let out an uncharacteristic cry of shock.

Shinichi halted in his tracks and looked up. "What's wrong? Did you find something?"

"You…could say that." The corners of the magician's lips curled upward. "Shin-chan, look down."

Confused, Shinichi looked down. He would deny for the rest of his life that he screamed, but he would admit that he leapt up. With the sudden motion, his legs slid out of the floor and his shoes were now resting on the mosaic tiles once again.

"How did—?!" he started, heart racing as he stared at the ground he had literally been walking down through.

"It's a special spatial spell," Kaito explained. His indigo eyes were bright with fascinated excitement. "If you walk on it normally, it's just a ballroom floor. But if you walk on it like you're walking down stairs, it's different."

"You mean like this?" More purposefully this time, Shinichi stepped onto one large, pale petal. Then he stepped onto the next, slightly darker petal. One by one, he descended the stairs, his gaze focused only on each petal step. It was growing progressively easier to think about then as steps and not art.

With an abruptness that was almost a physical shock, Shinichi realized that he really was walking down a flight of steps. They were wide, stone steps, to be exact, each curved oddly to emulate the essence if not the exact shape of peony petals. When he looked up, he saw a spiraling staircase leading back up to a clear ceiling etched with tile patterns.

"It's amazing, isn't it?" Kaito piped up from right behind him, making Shinichi jump. The detective could only nod. It felt like they were standing at the bottom of a well and looking up through the water at the world beyond.

"This space…" Shinichi murmured. "It's…not the same."

"It feels like another dimension, almost," Kaito said, brows knitting in thought. "But at the same time, it's not. It feels like we've been shifted a step sideways."

"What does that mean?"

"It doesn't mean anything really. It just is. Though it does mean that this place, wherever it is, might not actually be under that ballroom floor. We might be somewhere else entirely."

"Oh," Shinichi murmured, distracted. Walking in this space felt like walking through liquid air. It was dense, almost suffocating, and yet not. He could breathe just fine, but all sounds were muted and the sense of touch numbed. Maybe they weren't all of them here, he thought absently. Perhaps this space or dimension or whatever allowed only parts of you to pass into its odd domain.

Here, age was something you could feel in the air. He felt like he was walking through time, feeling it thicken all around him, dragging him back even as it pulled him forward. The light too. There was a soft, pure radiance in the darkness. It glittered there on the very edges of his senses, teasing at his thoughts. It was a radiance without a source, and he could sense that it was calling to him.

It was a breath of fresh air in this still and cloying darkness.

"Shin-chan," Kaito breathed as he placed a hand on Shinichi's shoulder. "Look."

The comment was unnecessary for the two of them stood there, gazing in wonder at a vision right out of the past thousands of years ago.

They had found a temple. That was the only way they could describe the place.

The stairs they had just descended spiraled down all the way to the floor of the massive cathedral. Here, elaborate pillars rose high to a ceiling painted with the most beautiful and intricate paintings either Kaito or Shinichi had ever seen. It felt like they were standing in the heart of an ancient and powerful place—a place that demanded kings and respect and power. It was the kind of place where you spoke with low voices and hushed whispers, wondering why you, so small and insignificant as you were, had been allowed to tread through these haloed halls.

There were twelve pillars in all. Each pillar set equidistance apart from one another so that they formed a loose ring around the chamber. The curving walls behind them was a single sweep of paintings and carvings.

"It's a story," Shinichi breathed.

* * *

 **TBC**


	22. The Lost Story

Disclaimer: I don't own the DCMK characters.

* * *

 **Moon Over Eventide**

22: The Lost Story

The first image—or at least the image that appeared to be the first—was that of a peaceful countryside. Lightly wooded hills rolled in peaceful swells beneath a clear sky until they swooped up to become mountains. But a jagged line had been slashed through one side of the picture. It raced into the next image, a crack tearing open the earth itself.

"An earthquake, maybe?" Shinichi murmured, walking slowly along the wall as he drank in the images. He paused beneath the largest section of the crack and frowned. There appeared to be something rising out of the earth. "What's that?"

"It's a claw. Look here." Kaito pointed.

In the next image, the thing rising out of the ground was clearer. It was a massive, clawed foot. It scrabbled at the earth as a head emerged from below. Then the beast was tearing itself free, massive wings blotting out the whole of the sky as it roared at the crescent moon.

"It's a dragon," the detective said, only slightly surprised. "Are dragons really that big? This picture makes it look like it would have literally been the size of a mountain."

Kaito shook his head. "There are a couple species of dragons in our world, though not many, and even the largest are only about the size of a large sailing ship—not counting the wings, of course."

"There's writing beneath this one. Can you read it?"

The two crouched down next to the inscription beneath the gargantuan dragon. Kaito held his magical light closer to the wall and ran his fingertips over the grooves in the stone.

"It says… _The beast of light rose from the heart of the world. Inside its body shone the lights of a million stars. It spread its wings and turned the night to day. And when it roared, the whole world trembled_." The magician let out a quiet chuckle. "Very dramatic historian we have here. Provided this is really history and not some old ancestral legend of ours. I'll say I've never seen or heard of a dragon like what he's describing at any size."

"Well, it flew away." Shinichi pointed to the next image where the dragon was soaring up and up into the star-spangled sky until it had disappeared altogether. "I don't see any pictures of it coming back."

"You're right. For some reason, our historian was much more interested in this crack in the ground it left behind. Here he says, _It was a cursed land. The birthplace of demons_. I assume that meant people steered clear of the place when they could."

Over time, the ravine and the lands around it grew more forest cover, but the scar in the earth continued to be a source of dread, or so it seemed. It was a place to be avoided. Their artists had painted ghoulish faces in the shadows of the trees and the darkness of the ravine floor.

"But then a man came." Shinichi concluded. "A refugee."

"What makes you say he's a refugee? He could have been an adventurer."

"Yeah, but his clothes are ragged, and he has a broken arm." Shinichi pointed out the tiny figure's sling. "And I think these people," he added, gesturing to the five men on horseback running up behind the first man, "are chasing him. They're holding bows and arrows."

"Makes sense. So he ran into the cursed forest because he knew no one would want to follow him there."

"His pursuers waited a few days then left. I think these marks here mean five days."

Kaito nodded. Then he turned to the next swath of the picture which showed very little other than lots of trees and monstrous beasts peering out at random passersby. Until two travelers arrived who stopped.

One was a woman, judging by her garb, and the other a small child holding onto her hand. The two stood on the edge of the forest looking in.

"They're going in?" Kaito exclaimed, seeing the next picture where the mother and child were well on their way into the woods. "What for?"

"I think they were the other one's relatives. Look. He sees them, and they all embrace."

"Okay, so basically some vagabond runs into the forest to hide from the law or whatever. He stays in there so long that his wife and kid come to look for him, and they have a happy reunion. And it looks like they decide to settle down."

The little family became a larger family. Then more people had come to the forest and, bit by bit, the village expanded. But it seemed that, though all was peaceful, not all was quite right.

There were babies being born who had horns or tails. There had been people who could breathe fire and call the rain. It seemed the longer people lived in the cursed forest by the ravine, the stranger and less human they became.

And those outside noticed.

One day, those living in the outside came with an army to hunt down the monsters of the cursed forest. They would slay the demons and burn down their accursed home.

Some villagers fled. Others fought, their supernatural powers only further engendering fear in the humans who could no longer see themselves in these beings before them.

In one night, the village was no more.

But the people survived. They moved down into the crevice and built a new home, and they grew. And eventually they raised an army and went back to the surface to reclaim what they felt had been taken away from them.

"What followed were many of the bloodiest wars my world has ever seen," Kaito said, voice dark and calm but edged with steel. "It was the time when those who had come to be called demons claimed this world for their own. The regular humans were hunted and killed like the demons had been before. But many who had thought themselves normal discovered that they had already been tainted by the magic and were not normal after all. Those were welcomed into the Empire where they learned to use their new skills and accept the new shape the world was taking on."

"So then the city we just came down through was the place they built for themselves before they expanded and became the empire. They built it here because it's where everything changed. And that means, somehow, this crevice must hide the Source."

The sound of clapping filled the air.

"Very good," a voice they both knew by now said, causing both Shinichi and Kaito to whirl around. Kaito dropped into a fighting stance. The air around him began to crackle.

Spider stood at the foot of the stairs they had just descended. Behind him stood Snake with a dagger pressed against Kazuha's throat.

Seeing the girl, both Kaito and Shinichi stood stalk still.

Spider laughed again. "And to think, everything is still going as planned despite your little badly planned effort to stop me. What better proof is there that I was meant to find the Source."

"So where is it then?" Kaito sneered. "Because it looks to me like you haven't found it either.

"Don't you realize it? This is the Source. We're standing in it. Or the key to it at any rate," he amended when he noticed all their dubious stares.

"Can you not feel it?" he demanded, rounding on Kaito. "The power! It's here. I can feel it. But what part of this place is it? That's the question."

Spider began circling the chamber. Neither Kaito nor Shinichi dared to move with Kazuha still in the hands of danger, so they all just watched. The blonde demon paused at the foot of each major portion of the mural to gaze upon it in the same rapt manner that Shinichi and Kaito themselves had done so not long before. When he was done, he was back at the first image where the ground had split apart.

"All these pictures… It must be in here somewhere," he muttered under his breath.

Shinichi swallowed. His throat was dry. He'd been thinking the same thing. The elaborate and extensive artwork everywhere, the peony stairs, the spaces in the art…it was all coming together in his head. If he had to guess then Spider hadn't known just how right he'd been when he'd said they were _standing in it_.

"You know something," the demon said suddenly, rounding on Shinichi. Crossing the room in three long strides, he seized Shinichi by the front of the collar.

Kaito let out a growl. Spider immediately let go, but he didn't back away.

"Tell me what you know," he said.

"I don't know anything," Shinichi replied stiffly, glaring straight at the demon.

The blonde was unfazed. "Then tell me what you noticed. And don't bother stalling. Unless, of course, you want to be responsible for that girl over there losing her fingers."

Shinichi's jaw clenched. "The crevice," he ground out, reluctant to help the man in any way but unable to risk Kazuha's safety.

Spider smirked and turned away. "I thought so."

Striding back to the first painting, he placed his hand over the crack that had been painted across the earth. It was partially carved there, not just painted, and now that they were all focused on it, they all saw that the same jagged line didn't end at the foot of the mural. When it reached the ground, it became a mere line of black ink about a finger's width thick.

That line of ink traced a jagged line all the way from one end of the chamber to the other.

Spider looked at the line then back at the mural. Then, carefully, he placed his fingertips on the crack on the mural where the dragon's claw was emerging and pushed.

Several people gasped as Spider's fingers sank into the painting. But the demon noble only smiled. The painted crevice began to glow. The light raced from the point where Spider's hand rested down the entire length of the painted line. Then, with a rumble that grew louder and louder until it filled the entire room like the roar of thunder in a mighty storm, the crack split open.

It ran down the wall and across the floor along the painted line. Rock broke apart. Then the entire chamber was wrenching itself in two directions, tearing the ground wide open and revealing a deep, rocky chasm that glowed as though it had opened a path all the way down into the heart of the planet.

Four pairs of eyes immediately looked down into the depths of the opening.

Far, far below them ran what appeared at first to be a river, but instead of water, the river ran with light—a pure, dazzling light that flickered gold and rainbow and white as untouched snow. It flowed down there, deep and powerful and completely out of this world. Perhaps that was what it really was: a hole into another world through which powers untold had been leaking for centuries. Now, it was an entire chasm of aurora lights merged with whitewater rapids.

For a long moment, none of them could do anything but stare in awe at the splendor of the fiery river below. They were so caught up in its radiance that none of them noticed the light creeping back into dull, dark brown eyes.

Spider let out an abrupt laugh. "This is it! After all these years, I've found it!"

His exclamation snapped everyone back to the present, and Kaito glared.

"So what do you plan to do now?" he asked dryly. "You can hardly carry a river away with you. It seems to me like all your _hard work_ has been for naught."

The blond demon sneered. "Act superior while you can. Soon, all the Great Houses will kneel before me." His expression turned sly as a thought struck him. "I should thank you though. Without you and your father, this would be much more difficult."

Indigo eyes narrowed. "What do you mean?"

Spider flicked his wrist, producing from a hidden pocket a clear, blue green crystal. "Ah, I see you know what this is. I believe you were using them to power those ridiculous little mechanical devices you brought back from the human world. Nifty little things, these crystals. I must commend you two for making them. But alas, you were wasting their potential with those toys. These crystals are much better suited to holding magic than they are to holding electricity. Let me demonstrate."

"Hey," Snake barked. "Don't forget your end of the bargain."

Spider waved him off. "Yes, yes, I remember. But one at a time."

Stepping up to the lip of the chasm, the blonde closed his fist around the crystal and held it out over the river. Then he began to chant. The tongue was unfamiliar to Shinichi, but it didn't matter that he couldn't understand them. He could feel the power building in the air. It thrummed in each rhythmic syllable. The sounds seemed to pierce his skull and reach right into his head. His vision wavered.

Tongues of white fire were leaping up from the burning river. They danced higher and higher, twisting and turning and pulling away in thin strands of light that dissipated into the increasingly iridescent air. A few wisps of flame twined around Spider's clenched fist.

A blue green glow answered the flames. It started out soft like the light of a green ember. But the glow grew rapidly brighter. Soon, streams of blue green light could be seen spilling out from between the demon noble's fingers. They were like living ribbons reaching out towards the radiant river below.

Turquoise and white intertwined. More and more flames leapt up from below. Soon, a thick column of white light was spiraling up out of the river like the beginnings of a tributary, and all of it was flowing straight into the crystal in Spider's grasp.

By now, the crystal was glowing so brightly that the demon's fingers looked transparent where they held it. But though the light show was spectacular, it was the feeling of growing pressure in the air that made Shinichi shiver.

He could feel the power. It was burning like the heat of the sun against his skin, and it was only growing hotter by the second.

Tearing his eyes away from the luminous display, he sought out Kaito only to see that the magician too was watching the crystal drink in the river of magic with rapt attention. Snake was in much the same boat. He still had his knife at Kazuha's throat, but all his attention was on the magic. It was as though the sheer power flowing before them had enthralled them, rendering them deaf and blind to everything else.

Blue eyes shifted down to Kazuha's blank face—and met a pair of clear, brown eyes.

Shinichi drew in a sharp breath.

"Kazuha?" he mouthed, not daring to make a sound lest it break whatever odd spell had the demons all entranced.

She blinked at him then looked pointedly down towards her chin, indicating her reluctance to move or otherwise disturb her captor in any way. Despite her precarious position, Shinichi felt a sudden burst of elated hope. The magic holding Kazuha's mind captive had apparently been dispelled. And all the demons were distracted.

It was now or never.

Slowly, Shinichi shifted his feet across the floor, edging backwards as he kept one eye on Spider's back and one eye on Snake. Neither of them paid him any heed. Once he was far enough back to be out of Snake's field of vision, he began to move a little more quickly.

Tiptoeing around so that he was standing right behind Snake, he paused, checking his pockets. His hands came up with a watch. It was not the beautifully crafted watch Kaito's father had made. Instead, it was a human world watch designed by one of his family's old friends. The man had been his next door neighbor growing up and an inventor to boot, and when Shinichi had started his detective career, the old man had made him this watch.

"So you can protect yourself," he'd said with clear concern. "You're still young, and you're going to be seeing a lot of dangerous people and situations. This should help, but you still have to be careful."

Shinichi had had his doubts about the watch's tranquilizer dart being effective on demons, but he had packed the watch anyway before coming to this world on the off chance that it might come in handy. Now, he supposed all he could do was pray that it did indeed work on demons.

Popping the lid up, he aimed at the back of Snake's neck and fired.

The nearly invisible needle shot forward in a thin, silver streak and struck home.

Snake grunted, startled briefly out of his reverie—just enough to let go of Kazuha and rub at the back of his neck.

"Damned insects," he mumbled then, without much dramatic flare, he slumped down sideways. Both his arms fell away from Kazuha, and she jumped nimbly out of his lax hold without a sound. She took a moment to look down at the man where he lay unconscious on the floor, then she picked up his knife and turned to Shinichi.

"What's going on?" she whispered, still acutely aware that the other demons in the room were only temporarily occupied and could change their minds at any moment about what they should be paying attention to.

"I'll explain later," Shinichi whispered back. "Are you hurt?"

The girl shook her head.

"That's good." Shinichi turned to look over at Kaito again.

"Kai," he hissed. "Kaito!"

No response.

"Go," Kazuha whispered, nudging him forward. "I'll watch the big creep."

Shinichi nodded and ran as quietly as he could to where Kaito was just standing there, staring into the light.

A tap on the shoulder made Kaito jerk like he'd been struck by lightning. Indigo eyes whipped around to stare at him, and Shinichi nearly jumped back as well. Those eyes, though always bright, were now aglow with indigo fire and a deep, shadowy hunger. It was the hunger for power—for the limitless possibilities offered by magic and the knowledge that, with it, there would be nothing that was out of your reach.

Shinichi smacked him.

Indigo eyes blinked, and now they were normal again. Bright, wicked, but true.

"What was that for?" Kaito asked, putting on a mock wounded tone.

Shinichi ignored him. Instead, he nodded to Kazuha. Kaito looked and immediately understood.

Their enemies no longer had hostages.

The magician's face split into a cold, predatory grin as his eyes grew hard.

"It's time then."

 **TBC**

* * *

 **A.N: Happy New Year!**


	23. In the Heart of the Flame

Disclaimer: I don't own the DCMK characters.

* * *

 **Moon Over Eventide**

23: In the Heart of the Flame

The first spell Kaito called upon exploded in his hands before he could finish it, throwing blue fire and white sparks in every direction. The shockwave nearly knocked Kaito off his feet. It also, rather unfortunately, drew Spider's attention.

The blond demon's gaze darted from Kaito to the dark lump that was his accomplice lying on the ground under Kazuha and Shinichi's watchful eyes.

Quickly assessing the situation, he yanked his fist out of the torrent and drove one sharp point of the blazing crystal he'd been holding into his own left palm. Shinichi flinched in sympathetic pain as blood sprang from the wound, but the bleeding ceased almost instantly as the crystal dissolved.

It was like watching cracks spreading across breaking glass. Lines of white ran across the blond demon's hand and up his arm, visible even through his clothes. It traced a fine latticework across his shoulders and up his neck even as it spread down the length of his torso and into his legs. It took Shinichi only a moment to realize that the path the light was following was the demon's veins. Some corner of his mind that was always filing away new information for detective work noted that the demon's circulatory system was a great deal more complex than a human's.

"Kai! What's happening?" he exclaimed as the blonde's eyes too turned white like holes into the heart of the sun.

His words were nearly drowned out as Spider threw his head back and laughed. More light poured out of his open mouth. The sound that emerged was eerie. It hissed and crackled like a thousand campfires, resounding at a level that seemed to transcend sound to travel directly into the minds of everyone present.

Kaito didn't answer. He knew what was happening. The other demon was absorbing the power he had gathered in his crystal. How ironic that a device created to store and transfer electricity into human mobile devices could be bent to such ends. But there was no time to explain.

He took a brief moment to inhale deeply, forcing all other thoughts out of his head. He could feel the power in the air. It was a raw, wild power that cried out to instincts buried in the soul of every creature of magic. Like a flame drew moths, so too such pure, magical energy drew demons. But like that flame, it was just as dangerous as it was magnificent. That was why his first spell had exploded. It had fed off the power in the air and grown so rapidly that he had lost control.

He couldn't afford any more mistakes like that if he wanted to win this fight.

To be entirely honest, he suspected he wasn't going to win this fight, but he didn't let himself dwell on that thought. To win a duel, you could not enter into it thinking of failure. There were people depending on him

Raising his left hand, he held it out as his right traced signs in the air, drawing the magic around him into solid form. A sword materialized in his outstretched left hand, the blade gleaming like moonlight given shape. Behind him, his cape shifted and spread, darkening from white to black as it transformed into his wings.

With the release of his human guise, his own power too grew stronger. He could feel the energy flowing through him just as that stolen power was burning through his enemy, but the sensation was a familiar and reassuring one for him. After all, it was the power he had been born with. He had to trust that it would get them through this.

Strange, he mused, watching as the thing that might or might not be Spider anymore continued to laugh and glow and change before their very eyes. He'd always believed in planning. You couldn't predict the future, obviously, but a good plan could see you a long way in the right direction. Two good plans—or three, or four—could do just as much and more. And so he made plans and backup plans and backup plans for his backup plans, and, wrapped in all his careful calculations and manipulations, he supposed he had thought himself invincible.

Yet here, standing before this creature that was devouring magic like a starving beast devouring food even as it warped and twisted his body, he knew that a whole lot of what was about to happen would have to come down to faith. Or would that be fate? He would have to consult Shinichi's opinion on that later. Shinichi always did have interesting things to say about such things.

"Right," he said to himself as he squared his shoulders. Simple would be better in this case. "I am going to cut off that arm of yours."

"Just try it," the monstrous creature of white light and fire and shreds of skin barely held together beneath once fine clothes that were shredding away in acrid wisps roared. It had tripled in size, and its shape was only barely that of a human anymore. It had sprouted four extra arms, but they were blue and burned white at the fingertips. It lunged, but Kaito had moved first.

The moonlight blade sliced down straight through the spider demon's left wrist. But there was no blood. White flames streamed out from the wound, but the hand did not fall. It simply stitched itself back to the end of its arm. In an instant, the arm was whole again—or as whole as you could call a thing that seemed to be constantly peeling away and reforming.

Not having expected the success of his strike to have caused so little damage, Kaito was caught in the chest by a burning fist that hurled him all the way across the chamber.

Performing a handspring to get himself back up, he spread his wings and leapt up then dove forward again, this time from above.

"What a pitiful sight," the spider monster laughed, the sound making every head throb in pain. "I am the new king of this world. Bow to me, Peasant, or die."

"Listen to you," Kaito called back, mocking. "A king, all of a sudden, eh? You gorge yourself on magic, and suddenly you think you have the right to be king? Don't make me laugh."

"Silence!" the roar vibrated every molecule in the air, and suddenly there was no sound. Just absolute, complete silence.

Kaito's mouth was still moving, but no words emerged. The fire he had summoned was sheeting forward, trying to corner the demon beast, but they too made no sound.

When Shinichi met Kazuha's eyes, she mouthed words at him that he couldn't hear. It was as though someone had pressed mute for the entire world.

Was this the power of magic? The ability to just rewrite some part of the world so it suited your fancy whenever you wished it? If so, then they had to do everything in their power to stop the monster now because, if they let it out of this chamber, the world as they all knew it would end. He had no doubts at all about that.

But all he could do was stare in horror as Kaito was batted out of the air by something that looked like a reptilian tail that had emerged from inside the flames wreathing the beast. His sword hit the ground and shattered before dissolving into moon particles, and a massive, clawed foot landed on his chest, pinning him to the ground.

"Well," the demon, dragon, man, spider— _thing_ hissed, white eyes ablaze. "I never did like you. It's time we said our goodbyes."

Or that was what the creature would have said had sound existed. Instead, all that any of them knew was that the beast, for beast it most certainly was, brought its jaws down towards Kaito, dripping flames like saliva from its maw.

Kaito gazed up into the burning maw with distaste. "To think you've let yourself fall so far just from one taste of the Source." But again, his words were only heard by himself in his own head.

The monster's jaws opened.

Shinichi found himself moving before he'd made the decision to do so. He could see them both, black silhouettes against the white blaze of the Source below.

Shinichi knew he had no weapons. But he could see that Spider was barely holding himself together—if even. There was fragility in that power. And so Shinichi ran.

He ran straight across the chamber floor and threw himself against the beast. This close to the edge of the chasm, there was only one way to go.

With a screeching yowl, the beast went over the cliff, Shinichi still clutching at the tattered remnants of its clothes.

"Shinichi!" Kaito rolled onto his hands and knees, coughing. He could taste blood in his mouth. His ears were ringing, but all he could see—all he could think about—was Shinichi going over that cliff.

Black wings spread and began to beat at the heated air. There was no pain in the limbs, he noted in some absent corner of his mind. Good. He could do this.

Taking a running start, he leapt off the edge of the chasm and dove after Shinichi and the Spider monster.

He could see them both ahead of him, bare wisps of shadow against that too intense light. If they stayed here in the torrent too long, they too would bleached to nothing. They would have the very essence of their beings washed out of them. They had to move fast.

"Shinichi!" he shouted. The currents of power buffeted at his wings and lashed across his face, warning him to turn back. Instead, he flew faster.

"Shinichi!"

The cry left his lips before he remembered that there was no sound in the world right now. But then he heard a voice.

"Kai! Over here!"

And suddenly there was sound again. And there was Shinichi, sinking deeper into the light, but his eyes—those oh so lovely, sapphire eyes—were open and looking up straight at him.

There was no fear in those eyes. No regret for having come here or for having met Kaito. Instead, there was relief and belief—the belief that Kaito would catch him.

Looking back upon it later, Kaito knew that, without Shinichi's faith in him, he would never have been able to reach the detective in time. Not against the overwhelming force of the Source's fiery current.

He wouldn't let Shinichi down.

The moment he was close enough, he reached out. Shinichi reached for him at the same time. Catching the detective's hand, he pulled the smaller boy close, wrapping his arms securely around him. It wasn't until he was sure that he had Shinichi safely in his grasp that he even thought to look for Spider.

As though reading his thoughts, Shinichi pointed downward. "There."

Flapping his wings to keep them from dropping any further down, Kaito followed the direction of Shinichi's pointing hand to see something writhing in the flames. It was no longer recognizable as a anything in particular. Instead, it was only distinguishable from the light around them because it was moving differently, even then it was more like a twist in the tide than a separate entity.

"Can…can you do anything for him?" Shinichi asked.

"I can give him another push."

"I meant can you help him? Like…turn him back to normal?"

"I don't think so. He took in more power than he could handle. Instead of him consuming it, it's consuming him. You don't have to feel sorry for him," Kaito added as an afterthought. "He brought it on himself. Greed is never pretty."

Even as the last word left his mouth, the scene before them changed. The river of fiery light that had been roaring around them, grasping and tearing like hurricane winds, shifted. It thickened then thinned, and suddenly they could see more than just light below them.

They could see a deep blue emptiness. A sky? It was vast and blue and sprinkled with stardust in every direction. Shreds of the Source peeled off and drifted away into that void, spreading out and wisping away. At the same time, that darkness curled in towards them, twisting into the living light until the two were one.

"Is…this another world?" Shinichi managed to say through a sudden coughing fit. He felt strange, like his lungs couldn't get enough air.

"I…I don't know," Kaito replied, just as in awe as his detective. "If it is, it would mean that the Source is the very atmosphere of another plane of existence leaking into ours. Maybe the more magic we consume, the more like the entities of that other world we become… Or it could be the result of some reaction between the two colliding planes. I wonder…"

"Kudo! Kuroba!"

Startled from their reverie, the boys looked up to see a pale, scared face hundreds of feet above them. It was Kazuha. She was leaning over the edge of the chasm, squinting as she tried to find them in the heart of the flames.

"We're here!" Kaito shouted back before he began to flap his wings, slowly but steadily dragging himself and his charge up, up, and up until, with a grunt, they both landed on solid ground.

Shinichi immediately went limp in Kaito's arms. His hands flew up to cover his mouth as a hacking cough wracked his body.

Alarmed, Kaito gently helped Shinichi lie down then pressed a hand to his forehead to check his temperature. His concern only grew at the heat that greeted his touch. Carefully, he pried open one of Shinichi's eyes for a look at his pupils then moved to check his pulse.

"What's wrong with him?" Kazuha asked frantically, hovering beside them as her gaze darted between Kaito's grim face and Shinichi's pale one.

"It looks like magic poisoning," Kaito replied. "He needs to see a doctor."

"Do you have a phone with you? I think they took mine."

"No, and it wouldn't work anyway. Stand back. I'm going to create a portal out of here. I'm not sure if it'll work because this space is dimensionally twisted, but, if I can connect us, I should be able to send us all back to the castle. My dad and his people can handle the rest of the cleanup at the lab."

"Is there anything I can help you with?"

Kaito managed a small smile for the anxious brunette. "Yeah. Just make sure that thug over there doesn't wake up. You might want to put some restraints on him too." With a snap of his fingers, he produced a coil of rope.

"I'll do that," Kazuha said firmly. Then she was marching back to said thug's side.

Kaito stood and took a deep breath. This was going to take every ounce of his power and concentration, but he could not allow himself to fail.

* * *

 **TBC**

 **A.N** : Happy Lunar New Year!


	24. When the Stars Shine

Disclaimer: I don't own the DCMK characters.

* * *

 **Moon Over Eventide**

24: When the Stars Shine

Letting out his breath in a long, half relieved and half exhausted sigh, Kaito shut the door to his quarters. The familiar whir and sparkle of his many experimental creations was soothing. The silence was even more so.

It had taken a long time and a lot of magic to get all the kidnapped humans from the lab under the Millennial Tree to a waiting room in the Kuroba's castle. Then they had had to modify the humans' memories. They hadn't changed much. The kidnap victims would be released back into their world believing that they had been abducted by a crazy organization that had believed it was gathering people with the potential to develop special powers. They had been kept separately in small rooms that were likely underground because they had had no windows, and none of them had seen any of their captors' faces as said captors had only spoken to them over speakers, and even then, they had spoken rarely. They had not been mistreated, but they had been given strange foods to eat that would supposedly stimulate their supernatural skills.

Then one day a pair of young men had broken into the facility and set them free, instructing them to run. The demons sending the kidnap victims back were currently searching for a good location to deposit the lot of them that would make it easy for them to so happen to run back to where they were supposed to be. But that part of the release was still going to take a little more planning. Kaito had contacted Takagi and given him a set of instructions to help smooth the transition process.

All in all, it was barely a lie at all, as far as cover stories went. And the victims should be able to go back to their regular lives without too much hassle. They would have some unpleasant but mostly boring memories, and, if they remembered anything more demonic, they would attribute it to the strange substances they had been forced to consume.

They would need to figure out a way to have the "organization" cleaned up so the police wouldn't keep hunting for them, but he felt they should probably wait for Shinichi's opinion on that before acting.

Shinichi…

Opening the bedroom door, Kaito walked inside to see his detective lying on his bed, still and pale and breathing in shallow gasps. Though he no longer had a fever, he was still sweating. It was cold sweat, the kind that usually heralded sickness.

The girl sitting on a chair by Shinichi's bedside looked up as Kaito walked in. She regarded him solemnly, not trusting exactly but not afraid either. She was wary, but she was willing to listen, and that helped.

"How is he?" Kaito asked. Moving to stand next to the bed, he ran his fingers through Shinichi's black hair, noticing that they were damp.

"I'm not sure," Kazuha replied, gaze falling back to her friend's pale visage. "It looks like a really bad flu without the runny nose or coughing to me."

"Did the doctor say anything when he came today?"

"You mean the unicorn in the white lab coat?"

Kaito cracked a smile. "Yes, that's the one."

"He said it's magic poisoning all right, but he didn't explain what that meant. All he told me was to be patient and wait it out, and make sure that he's warm."

"I guess that makes sense."

Hiding his disappointment behind a jovial smile, he sat down on the edge of the bed next to Shinichi and reached over to tuck the covers more firmly around him. Shinichi whimpered in his sleep, shifting and curling in on himself before he went still again.

"So…are you going to explain what this magic sickness is?" Kazuha asked, watching the way the magician's hands lingered on Shinichi's skin, his hair, his shoulder—as though not wanting to lose that contact.

"Magic poisoning," Kaito corrected. "It happens to magical beings when we consume too much magic. Everything in this world has magic. It's in the air, the water, the earth, everything. So you're always consuming certain amounts of it in your daily life. We believe it is that continuous intake of magic for many generations and centuries that caused us to evolve into what we are today. But if you eat too much, your body can't handle it, and you get sick. It means that the magic is burning you from the inside out. You have to expel it as quickly as you can. If you can't or don't know how, then you just have to wait. If you're lucky, your body will slowly release or assimilate the new magic. It might change you a little, but you'd live, and you'd very likely get stronger. But if your body goes into rejection mode and tries to force the magic out too fast then it could kill you, depending on how it leaves."

"I'm not sure I understood all that," the girl murmured. "But basically, all we can do for him is wait."

"That's pretty much it. Yes."

A slightly awkward silence fell over them. Kaito was much too preoccupied with his concern for Shinichi to pay much attention to Kazuha, and Kazuha had always found Kaito to be a little strange and unapproachable. She supposed she now knew why.

So many things made so much more sense now that she knew there were other worlds and demons and magic and, well, all of it. That was why she had refused to let them alter her memories. She wanted—no, she needed to understand.

She could still remember what she had felt like down in the roots of the tree. She remembered that living, honey light as it called out to her. She remembered its sweet, untainted promises: of peace and light and an eternal sunshine beneath forest canopies.

That sense of true contentment… Was there a way that she could find it again?

Her eyes drifted to the pictures on the wall, and her thoughts derailed again, this time onto much more familiar grounds. She smiled.

"You really like him, don't you?"

Kaito paused in his absent stroking of Shinichi's hair and turned to follow Kazuha's gaze to the pictures. The sight of them made him feel warm like they always did, and he nodded. He felt no need to hide his feelings.

"He taught me a great deal," Kaito said, his lips quirking into an amused smile at the puzzled look that that comment would surely have elicited from Shinichi had the boy been conscious to hear it. His detective wasn't the social type, so he probably wouldn't understand, but it was the time he had spent with Shinichi that had taught Kaito to believe in the goodness in people, both human and demon alike. He had found in Shinichi someone who strove to live the ideals that Kaito himself had always admired but never _believed_.

"I knew I wanted him even back then, but then I had to come back here for a while. I honestly thought he would forget about me, but it turned out he never did."

"That's sweet," Kazuha mused, her face turning faintly pink. "To be honest, I used to think Shinichi would end up with Ran. They were pretty close growing up. Ran gave him a few hints, but he never asked her out. Eventually, she moved on. Everyone in school decided he was just the kind of guy who isn't interested in anything except his work."

Kaito chuckled. "He's never been very quick on the uptake when it comes to social subtleties. I always thought it was a side effect of being too logical."

Kazuha giggled. "Maybe."

A shadow fell over the room, and both Kazuha and Kaito turned towards the balcony doors to see a huge, feathery head and a pair of round, black eyes practically smooshed up against the glass.

Kazuha drew in a sharp breath, but she managed not to scream even though she did jerk in her chair. "What is—"

Her words were cut off by loud burbling then the clank of the bird's beak banging into the glass of the balcony door.

Leaping off the bed, Kaito strode over to the balcony and yanked open the door. The feathery, avian head immediately stretched inside, but he bopped it upside the head with his fist.

"Oi, you're not coming inside, Toki. I know you're worried, but if you come in here, Touga will want to come in too, and everyone else will follow. Then all of us would be squished flat between islands of dove. Shoo."

Toki's head drooped as he cooed unhappily, looking from Kaito to Shinichi and back again.

The magician's stern façade cracked, and he smiled, stroking the top of the bird's head. "I know. We're all worried. But you barging in here isn't going to help. You can sit on the balcony and watch if you behave."

The dove seemed to think this through. Then he bobbed a bow to Kaito and shuffled awkwardly out of the doorway. Kaito shut the door again. Through the glass, they could see the large, fluffy mound of dove settling down, filling half the balcony space.

"What kind of bird is that?" Kazuha whispered, still staring at the creature in question with eyes like saucers.

"They're actually from your world."

"They can't be!" she exclaimed. "People would know if there were birds that big."

"Oh, that. Doves don't grow that big in your world. It's the magic in the food and atmosphere here. Turns out doves react really strongly to it. We're still observing to see if they develop any more sophisticated magical abilities though. So far, they only seem to get bigger and more intelligent."

"That's still amazing." Kazuha fell silent, just marveling at the wonder of it all.

It certainly was, Kaito reflected, which, of course, was the problem. The Source… Right now, only a handful of people knew exactly what had gone on down there in the roots of the tree. No one aside from him, Shinichi, and Spider's trio had even set foot in the ancient city, let alone the story chamber outside of time. But now they knew, and that knowledge could change everything if they weren't careful.

He had told his father about the location of the Source and the story of its birth, but that was because he knew without a doubt that his father was trustworthy. However, what to do next was still a conundrum.

The best case scenario would be for the Source to remain a secret. And for now, they would endeavor to keep it so, but how long would that last? He knew he and his father could keep secrets, and no one would ask Shinichi or Kazuha. But Snake was a different story. The Burning Ash demon was currently being detained in one of the castle's more secure rooms, but they wouldn't be able to keep him there forever. They would eventually have to hand him back to his House for disciplining. When that happened… Well, it was very likely that Snake wouldn't want to share the location of such a treasure with anyone so that he could go back there himself one day to claim it, but if he did decide to speak, things could get ugly very quickly.

And of course there was always the slim possibility that Spider might one day find his way back into their world from whatever dimension he had fallen into.

Then there were all of Spider's assistants. How much did they really know?

On the bright side, it was unlikely in the extreme that anyone could stumble upon the ancient city without guidance from someone like Shinichi or Kazuha. And the entrance into the story chamber was fairly well hidden too, not to mention the doorway into the Source. So maybe he was worrying over nothing. Still, it might be a good idea to go back there sometime and add a few more layers of defenses of his own creation. But he would need Shinichi's help for that.

His attention returned to the boy sleeping on his bed. His chest tightened at the sickly color of his beloved's face and the way he was still struggling to breathe. There was nothing he could do but wait though. Wait and pray to whatever powers might be out there that Shinichi would recover soon.

X

"You can stay in this guest room," the wild-haired demoness said as she waved Kazuha into a simple but elegantly furnished room. It had a window but no balcony. Not that she minded. She was just glad to be able to see the sky.

"I went ahead and ran a bath for you, since I figured you'd want to take one after being held hostage for ages," the demoness continued, opening what turned out to be the bathroom door. A waft of scented steam filled the room with the aroma of lavender blossoms and mint. "There's a soap plant in the pot in the corner. Just pull a fruit off when you want soap. I put dry towels under the sink, and I'll bring some new clothes for you as soon as I find Keiko. She's good at whipping up human clothes."

"Oh, uh, thank you." Kazuha smiled hesitantly. "I really appreciate your help, Miss, uh…"

"Call me Aoko. And it isn't a problem. I never would have thought I'd see you here in my world when I met you at Kaito's university. I'm kind of embarrassed that your first visit had to be under such awful circumstances. I hope you don't hold it against us. This world is pretty different from yours, but it's got a lot of amazing things and people in it too."

"I'm sure it does," Kazuha replied, a soft, genuine smile making its way onto her face. "I was scared at first, but now that everyone's okay and we're all here, I think I'd like to learn more about your world. If that's all right with you. I…guess it might not be allowed."

"It's fine," Aoko assured her with a grin. "If Kaito can go gallivanting around your world to learn stuff about humans, I see no reason why you can't do the same here. Hey, how about this. You guys have a winter vacation coming up, right? For your end of year holidays after the semester ends. If you'd like, you could spend it here, and I'll show you around. I'm sure Kaito will drag Shinichi here, so you won't be the only human. It'll be fun."

"That does sound interesting."

Later, as she sank into her bath with a sigh, Kazuha found herself smiling in genuine wonder. Strange and frightening as some of it had been, she found she didn't regret the fact that she had had this adventure.

X

 _The stars were shining. That was the first thought that entered Shinichi's mind._

 _The stars were shining against a vast, dark sky in which a moon hung, neither full nor lost. Slowly, he sat up, and he realized that he knew this place._

 _He was sitting on Kaito's bed. The pictures of their childhood were still arrayed across the walls. But his eyes were drawn to the lake beyond the balcony where the magical cherry blossoms glimmered in the waters of the lake like light spun into floral shape._

 _He watched their ethereal glow for a while before his gaze was drawn to the sky. That was when he realized that there were two moons in the sky, not one. The moon he had seen first had waned. It was now an ivory blade: sharp and clean against the satin sky. The other moon, however, was black. Where the white moon shone like a beacon, welcoming, daring, the black moon whispered of secrets and wishes and things lost before they were given the chance to be born._

 _The sight of those two moons in the sky disturbed him, so he turned around. The room behind him was in monochrome. He hadn't noticed it before because he had assumed it was simply dark. But now that he was looking, he realized that there was just no color anywhere._

 _He felt cold._

 _Where was he supposed to go?_

 _Where was he supposed to be?_

 _He couldn't remember._

 _He moved to sit on the bed, but no, that wasn't right. Something was missing._

 _He stood again and walked to the door. He tried the handle, but it wouldn't open._

 _Confused, he began walking slowly around the room. He tried each window and then the balcony door, but all were locked tight. Eventually, he ended up before the wall of pictures again._

 _They still had no color. When he looked at them, he felt more keenly than ever that something was missing. But what?_

 _His gaze was drawn to the largest painting where two families picnicked beneath cherry blossom trees. For the briefest of moments, he thought he saw a flash of pink in the petals, but then they were pale gray again. Still he continued to stare at that picture._

 _Looking at those frozen smiles, he remembered. He remembered the soft touch of the breeze against his skin and the gentle scent of the cherry blossoms tickling at his nose. He remembered the laughter as two magicians plied their arts to conjure a feast while everyone who passed by paused to applaud the show. He could hear their laughter and the clapping and the sound of the wind in the leaves._

 _"Shin-chan! What are you doing just sitting over there?!"_

 _Looking up, Shinichi realized that he had been sitting all along on a pile of soft, pink petals. Had he been asleep?_

 _The room was gone. The moons were gone. He was sitting beneath the cherry blossom trees. All around him, pink petals drifted lazily through the air. The distance was a featureless pink haze._

 _"Shin-chan!"_

 _There was that voice again._

 _Looking around, Shinichi saw no one. Maybe he was imagining it._

 _This place was so comfortable. It was warm and bright. The fog that obscured the rest of the world was a little bit unsettling, making the world feel a little small and closed off, but there was also something secure about that closeness. It was as though he was in his own world._

 _"Seriously Shin-chan, are you really going to sit there all day?"_

 _Okay, that was definitely not his imagination. The voice was familiar in a way that made him feel happy._

 _"Hello~."_

 _"Fine, I'm coming," Shinichi sighed and got up—or tried to. He felt lethargic. It was as though all his limbs now weighed a ton._

 _"What's the matter?"_

 _"I can't move," Shinichi replied, leaning heavily against the tree trunk behind him and closing his eyes._

 _"That's because you've been sitting too long. Come on, there's still so much to do!"_

 _Shinichi tried and failed again to rise. Suddenly, the pink-tinged whiteness all around him felt confining rather than peaceful. A small spark of panic flared in his chest. "I…I can't."_

 _The voice sighed. "Fine. If you're going to be lazy about it, I'll go ahead." As it spoke, the voice grew fainter._

 _A wave of dread crashed over Shinichi. "No, wait!"_

 _With a surge of desperation, he lurched to his feet, but his legs felt like they belonged to someone else. They wouldn't do what he asked of them. Instead, they wobbled, and he pitched forward. The ground beneath him wavered. The whiteness darkened, collapsing inward. Abruptly, he was falling._

 _He screamed._

 _Strong arms caught him, halting his fall. Startled, he looked up. His vision filled with indigo._

 _"Gotcha!"_

X

It was a soft, almost inaudible groan that woke Kaito. His senses went straight to high alert as he opened his eyes, arms tightening protectively around Shinichi. He hadn't bothered drawing the curtains when he'd gone to bed. Through the balcony doors, he could see that the sky was still dark, but the night was silver with moonlight. Outside, Toki was sleeping with his head tucked under his wing, resembling nothing so much as a massive, white ball of snow.

Everything was as it should be. It was only once he was certain there was no danger that he turned his attention to the slumbering detective in his arms.

Shinichi stirred. As though sensing Kaito's gaze, he turned slightly, eyes blinking blearily open.

A broad grin spread across Kaito's face. "Shinichi! It's about time."

"Kaito?" the detective murmured, confusion evident in his face. Kaito let him think. Shinichi was never at his best right after waking up, and he'd been running a high fever just earlier that day. He would no doubt need some time to process everything and remember what had happened. For now, Kaito was content just to hold him and appreciate the fact that it looked as though the worst of the magic poisoning was wearing off.

He was not expecting Shinichi to suddenly blush bright red and launch himself backwards, arms flailing. The natural result of the ill planned escape was that the detective fell off the side of the bed.

Kaito scrambled after him. The last thing they needed after Shinichi had finally come through the worst of the sickness was for the detective to give himself a concussion by falling out of bed.

Finding Shinichi sitting on the floor with his head in his hands, Kaito knelt beside him, brushed Shinichi's hands aside, and began running his fingers over the smaller boy's skull.

"Honestly, you really need to be more careful," he said. "If you keep getting yourself hurt, I'm going to have to lock you up somewhere safe."

"That would be illegal," Shinichi grumbled, but he leaned back into Kaito's chest and let the demon continue to look him over, apparently checking his vital signs. Though why Kaito felt the need to check his vitals when he'd only fallen out of bed, Shinichi had no idea.

Speaking of beds. "Why are you sleeping in my bed?"

"It's my bed," Kaito corrected him, chuckling. "You're sleeping in it because you've been extremely sick."

Shinichi's eyebrows furrowed, though his eyes remained closed. "Sick?" That would explain how weak he felt. And the strange buzzing, fuzzy feeling in his head. But he had been perfectly fine when they had gone down into the root city. Surely he couldn't have come down with the flu just like that out of nowhere.

"You were inside the Source too long," Kaito explained, voice grim. "You inhaled a lot of it while you were there. That was pure, raw magic. Strong stuff. Even for us. When a living creature consumes more magic than its body is made to handle, it gets magic poisoning."

"Oh." So that was why he felt like a cooked noodle. "Like what happened to Spider."

Kaito hesitated. "Sort of. But also a little different. Why?"

"Am I…going to turn into something like…like that?"

Kaito almost laughed, but he refrained. It wasn't an invalid concern. Large amounts of magic could easily cause life forms to mutate, but exposing a life form that had no magic at all to such an intense blast of it so suddenly was a great deal more likely to kill.

"I think you're safe," he said finally. "Changes resulting from exposure to magic depends on long term, gradual exposure. And even then it depends on you already having a genetic predisposition to do so."

"Well that's good at least. Where is everyone else?" he asked suddenly, blue eyes snapping open. "Where's Kazuha?"

"She's fine. Aoko showed her to a guest room. Most of the other humans have already been returned to their homes. Takagi is smoothing things over on the human end. You two are the only ones still here."

"That…must have taken a lot of work. How long was I asleep?"

"You've been asleep for five days."

Shinichi spluttered. " _Five days_?!"

Kaito pulled the distressed detective onto his lap, tucking Shinichi's head under his chin. "Calm down. It's not a big deal. And five days is actually very fast for recovering from such severe magic poisoning. You should stay in bed a few more days to be safe."

"But Heiji. He's still stuck in our room. The whole Osakan police force will probably be pounding down our doors when we get back."

"I thought of that already," Kaito assured him. "Takagi's going to tell them that Hattori's been helping us on this investigation. Since he had to go under cover, he couldn't tell anyone where he was. In any case, he found Kazuha, then he and Takagi helped her escape from their crazy cult captors."

"Cult…captors?"

"It's the cover story. I'll tell you more about it later. Anyway, how're you feeling? Does anything hurt?"

Shinichi frowned. He felt…strange, but considering he'd been bedridden for five days, that was no surprise. If anything, he would have expected to feel worse than he did. Maybe that was the strange part.

A loud growl made them both jump. It was a split second before Shinichi realized it was his stomach. His face turned bright red, and Kaito began to laugh.

"Well, we'll think better once we've gotten some food into you. I'm sure the kitchen wouldn't mind us coming in for a so-late-it's-early snack."

* * *

 **TBC**


End file.
